Uzumaki Naruto: The Ninja Chronicles
by Durza II
Summary: Naruto develops from a loser into a strong shinobi, but still its not enough to face the enemies out there, the greatest being Akatsuki. He has the help of a few select shinobi he has come to call friends, but they won't be enough. He needs to grow strong
1. Volume 1: The Worst Birthday Ever

It happened the day he turned six. Naruto was planning on a big celebration, but first he had to go to the academy and pass the final exams of the school year. He had trained and read so hard that it felt like his mind and body were going to explode! I mean seriously, why did they have to know all that much? They weren't even genin yet. Shouldn't they take the slow and more relaxed route of education at such a low level? Anyway, he was determined to prove that he was definitely _not_ a dropout, and that even talent-less people like him could become shinobi. He was adamant on that goal of his. So Naruto had studied and trained like he had never done before, even if it had only been for a month. But hey, every little helps. Plus, wouldn't it be _sooo_ awesome if he actually passed with grades in the league of – or dare he think it, even higher than- the certified geniuses at the academy like Sasuke, Sakura (now that's one smart girl), Neji, Ten-Ten, Shikamaru (oh yes, Naruto knew about Shikamaru, and the fact that he was smarter than even Sakura and most of the compliment of Konoha shinobi), and even fuzzy-brow Lee. Oh yes, today would be a fantastic day, when he would show the entire village what a great shinobi he would become. But alas, that was never meant to be.

The prank worked perfectly. Three of Naruto's classmates managed to infiltrate Naruto's lodgings and wreck the entire apartment while they held him under a sleep-inducing genjutsu. Unfortunately, one thing they wrecked they hadn't planned on was Naruto's alarm clock. Even though they, along with everyone else, treated Naruto like crap, they knew the finals for this year were tomorrow, and even they appreciated that timing was of the essence. But, as the perpetrator said smoothly, who would give a damn in the brat failed? After all, he was just the orphan kid nobody liked. With those consoling words, they left the apartment, having the decency to at least take off the genjutsu. This was it. The defining moment when events spiralled out of control of human beings and straight into the clutches of cold, Lady Fate. The only witness to this crucial moment was just an old man, sitting safe inside his mansion with the same symbol he wore on his hat etched onto the front of his beloved home, "Fire". He watched the crystal ball in front of him, wearily resigned to whatever Lady Fate spat back at them.

Naruto walked down the corridor, rage and fury burning in each eye. The day had been a total disaster! First he had woken up early, for once, only to see that his room was trashed in a way that defied explanation. But Old Man Hokage's instructions had been clear from day one; take care of your apartment. So like the perfect tenant, he had spent the next hour doing his best to return the apartment to any semblance of normalcy. But that had been an hour too much. He only found out his alarm clock was damaged when he remembered that he had set it to go off at seven o'clock. With a sinking feeling he had taken a quick shower and gotten changed. He even used chakra, a bad idea as it was, to increase his speed as he ran toward the academy. That was one trick he had learned from watching Sasuke sparring. He had rushed into the first examination with all the haste of a flustered tourist, and had been coolly greeted by a fuming Iruka-sensei. He had looked at the watch, and his stomach had sank deeper as he saw that he was three quarters of an hour late, and that he had only half an hour to complete an inch thick paper.

Things hadn't gotten easier. In the end Naruto just barely managed to finish the paper, but he had had to give quick answers to questions that were worth a lot of marks. That was the rule of discipline here at the academy; you don't finish the paper, you automatically fail. Easy as. But then there was the taijutsu exam next. Students had to fight a chunin for three, three minute bouts. The chunins were only allowed to use basic techniques, but they still had the advantage of experience, speed and muscle. Once again Naruto had had to use what he thought the dodgiest way to use chakra. Students were expected to win at least one bout, and Naruto only managed this in the last few seconds of his last bout with Mizuki-sensei, and only because of a technicality. He was mentally and physically exhausted, and he still had one more exam to pass.

The ninjutsu exam had been hell. He was in no state to mould chakra, but he managed to do one jutsu out of the two required at their low level. He managed the Replacement Jutsu, but he couldn't do the Rope Untying Jutsu. He was spent. His body was aching and his vision was going blurry. He had used up too much chakra. Still, he had done all the other techniques. Sure he might not pass with a high grade, but he had done what was expected of him. Iruka had other ideas. Sure Naruto and he were friends, but he truly believed Naruto could do better, so he simply couldn't let such a performance pass. He expected better from _all_ his students. He expected the best. And Naruto just wasn't cutting the mustard, so he had to redo the entire year again.

And this was why Naruto left the academy, flaming. This was just so unfair! He went down one street, and immediately took a side alley when he noticed Old Man Hokage. He had promised the Old Man he would work hard, and if Naruto prided himself on one thing, it was keeping promises. It was his Nindo. He heard the Old man's voice behind him, saying something about how he was going to talk to Iruka, but by now Naruto had had enough. He gave the Old man the slip on a busy main street, and went back to his apartment. He looked around the immaculate house … and cried. The emotions were just too much for his to take. Sure he could have stomached failing one exam, but all three? That was ridiculous. And Iruka-sensei? He couldn't believe that he had been failed just so easily, without a second thought.

"There is a way to redeem yourself, you know," an oily voice came from his open window. Naruto started, and looked up to see Mizuki-sensei crouched on his window sill, looking east, toward the Hokage's mansion.

"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked uncertainly. "How? I'll do anything to pass into the next class. Anything!" By now Naruto was standing, body tense and expectant. His chest swelled with what he hoped was not false hope.

"Deep in the forest of Konoha, there is a cabin which houses numerous things. One of these things is a certain giant scroll; The Scroll of Sealing. If you manage to find and learn a technique from this scroll, you automatically pass into the next year." With those words, Mizuki disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Naruto would have wanted to ask him questions, but he could manage without information. He would get that scroll even if killed him … which it nearly did.

Iruka was looking for Naruto. He couldn't believe it when he heard the news from Mizuki. Naruto has stolen the Scroll of Sealing. The ninjas had been in outrage, and since they had all heard that Naruto had failed his exam from one source or another, they were more fired up. Naruto was going to bring destruction to the village because of his search for power. Just like the Demon Fox had brought destruction to the village because of its own search for more power and its bloodlust. Naruto couldn't be trusted. There were the things Iruka heard, but he refused to believe them. Naruto was a nice student. He wouldn't do that.

It was nearing eight in the evening, and no one had see hair nor hide of his beloved student. He wanted to explain, to tell Naruto his reason for being so hard on him. Harder than he was on other kids. But he quickly deduced that the boy was not in the Village proper, so went into the forest instead. It was easy after that. He simply followed the large bursts of chakra emanating from deep within the forest. Putting on a burst of speed, he made his way toward the forbidden cabin. Naruto was there, panting, sitting on the ground. A cold fear bubbled within him.

"Naruto, what have you done?" His student looked up, startled.  
"I have found and learned from the scroll, so you just gotta let me pass!"   
"What are you talking about?" Iruka asked, momentarily confused.  
"Mizuki-sensei said that if I could learn jutsu from this scroll I would pass."  
"Mizuki!?" Iruka exclaimed, things coming clearer now.

"Yes, me," a cold voice said from the trees. They both looked onward as Mizuki became apparent in the shadows. A hail of shuriken suddenly came at Naruto, but Iruka pushed Naruto out of the way and got hit instead. Iruka was lifted off his feet and hurled into the wall of the cabin, crying out in agony as he did do.

"Now, Naruto, hand me the scroll," Mizuki asked softly.  
"What!? Never! Why did you do that to Iruka-sensei!? Why!?" Naruto was panicking by now.

"Do you know why the villagers all hate you, why Iruka-sensei hates you?" asked Mizuki with a broad smile.

"No Mizuki!" Iruka managed to shout in his state. "It's forbidden! Don't tell Naruto!"

"Exactly. Forbidden. Do you know why it is forbidden Naruto?" again Iruka protested at the top of his voice.

"Mizuki don't!" Mizuki went on like there had been no interruptions.

"I'll tell you why. It's because-"

"Mizuki no!"

"Inside you-"

"I'm begging you!"

"You harbour the Demon Fox. The same Demon Fox that killed so many shinobi of the leaf, so many families and friends and relatives. That's why Iruka hates you. The Demon Fox killed his parents."

"Mizuki!" Iruka shouted helplessly.

Mizuki suddenly got a giant shuriken from his back. With a quick motion, he hurled it at Naruto, and Naruto being a slow academy student and paralysed by his own fear, he didn't the time, reflexes or the mobility to get out of the way. Just as he was his own death approaching, there was a flash of movement, and an instant later, Iruka-sensei was crouched in front of him, blood dripping from several wounds and from his mouth. Naruto was scared beyond belief now. His sensei, the only one who ever recognised him, hated him. It was too much. He got up with speed someone in his condition shouldn't possess and ran off. To buy him some time, Iruka removed the giant shuriken from his back and hurled it at Mizuki. Mizuki dodged it easily.

"Why do you bother, Iruka? You know what Naruto's like once he makes his mind up. He will see this through. He will make sure the village pays for how it has treated him." Mizuki gave a derisive laugh. Iruka took this chance to attack Mizuki, but again Mizuki was one step ahead. Iruka was knocked back onto the cabin wall.

"I'll deal with you later," Mizuki said to Iruka contemptuously. He jumped and disappeared into the foliage, in the direction Naruto had taken.

_This is bad_, thought the Hokage as he watched events unfold on his crystal globe.

_I never thought Mizuki of all people would betray the village like this. Poor Naruto. He is in a deep emotional state, and with the Kyuubi more active within him in this state than any other, I cannot discount the ability that he will use the Scroll of Sealing to unseal himself and release the Kyuubi. If that happens … dammit! I should have talked to Naruto earlier on. I could see he was upset. Now events are beyond my control …_

Naruto jumped from tree to tree with all the speed he could muster. The Scroll was fastened to his back, but he barely felt its weight with all the thoughts running across his mind. Iruka-sensei hated him. He had caused the deaths of Iruka's parents. That's why the whole village hated him. He was a monster, a wolf in sheep's clothing. But in this state of frenzied flight, all he felt most was the rhythm of his hands and feet. There was nothing to worry about. He could run away from the village. Find a place where he wouldn't be treated as a monster.

That's when he heard the patter of feet behind him. They had found him! Not knowing what to do, he jumped down and hid behind the girth of one oak tree. A few seconds later he heard Iruka-sensei and … himself? No, it was Mizuki and Iruka! They had both used the transformation jutsu; Mizuki to try and deceive Naruto, and Iruka to try and deceive Mizuki.

"Why do you protect him, Iruka? He killed your parents! He's a monster. An incarnation of the Demon Fox itself. Do you really think he won't hesitate to use the powers of the Scroll to get revenge? You know Naruto. You know the Demon Fox. He will bring destruction onto the village."

"You're right," said Iruka, and Naruto's heart broke. He didn't even stay to make sure his beloved sensei was alright. He simply stood and ran like all hell had broken loose. He ran with no sense of direction, no sense of time or place, no sense of being. Just that urgent need, that primal instinct in his body that kept telling him to _move_.

Slowly, he began to tire. In a few minutes he dropped from exhaustion. He sat there, on the cold, hard earth, panting. Time passed him by without him noticing. All he could do was sit there, thinking of the revelations this day had brought. His mind and body were numb, unable to cope with the stress. Slowly, however, he began to draw away from the state of shock he was in. Hunger was gnawing at his stomach, and it would not be ignored. He looked around, and noticed with a pang that he was back at the cabin. He slowly made his way toward it, but stopped when he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. He turned round and saw three men, half hidden by the shadows of the evening. The one on the right was a ninja, wearing a Konoha headband and a jacket usually worn by chunin. The one in the middle was very normal-looking, and on closer inspection turned out to be a samurai. The third one was old, maybe as old as the Hokage, and wore a similar outfit. His was all grey instead of the Hokage's red and white.

The samurai smiled at him.

"We have been watching you, boy." Naruto was in no mood to be surprised. He was emotionally and physically drained, and resistance seemed futile.

"And we aren't impressed at all," the ninja said. The samurai looked at the ninja with a half-smile, half-exasperated look on his face.

"Really, Sakumo. He's only a boy."

"A boy who narrowly missed destroying this village," Sakumo agreed amiably.

"He'll get better with time," said the samurai.

"He needs proper training. He has no idea how important he is, and neither, I think, does Sarutobi." This came from the scholar-looking guy. The other two guys all looked at him with interest. It was clear they hadn't expected this from him.

"Our mission, as you all know, is to protect the boy and the village as best as we can. Now you two might think us three enough at the moment, but I think different. We need to swell our ranks a little. The boy would be perfect for that. So far we are only gathering information for Sarutobi because the village is at peace and prosperous. This would be the perfect time to make sure an incident like this doesn't happen again. Ever." After his little speech, the man seemed suddenly self-conscious and looked away. The other two looked at each other, silently debating. After a few seconds, the both nodded. The scholar-like man seemed to know this without looking. He suddenly looked at Naruto.

"Mould as much chakra as you can boy. It has to be perfect." Naruto did as he was told, not even questioning it. His life, his heart, had stopped living. It took a long time, but finally he was able to do it.

"Now, boy," the scholar continued, "these are the seals I want you to do, in this exact same order." Again Naruto did as he was told, and this time he got the technique right in one. He didn't even bother telling them this was the first time he had got something right the first time. The technique, as he discovered, was some sort of Clone Jutsu. When he looked at the scholar, he suddenly felt the amassing of massive chakra. The scholar suddenly sent out a ring of red fire to each of Naruto's two clones … and then nothing.

"It's done," the scholar said. This will make things much easier for us, I think. Each of you will take a Naruto clone, and I will take the real one." Without another word, the two men left with a Naruto clone, and the scholar left with the real one. Naruto left with the Scroll of Sealing, and even though he would be gone for six years, he would come back with the scroll unsealed and unopened.

That would be in six and a half years.


	2. Volume 1: While He Was Away

What had happened in the forest – Naruto's deed and the rest of that – had only been private information kept by the village's ninjas. However, the following day, every resident of the Hidden Leaf Village knew about it. No ninja really knew where the information had leaked from, but by the time the even thought of finding out how an order by the Hokage to keep the information secret had been disobeyed, it was too late. Everyone was whispering about it. Naruto Uzumaki, the Demon Fox as the older residents referred to him, had nearly brought destruction upon the village. The Scroll Of Sealing the First Hokage has sealed away had nearly been taken out of the village. The Fox brat might have even unsealed himself and brought down the wrath of the Demon Fox on them again. Resentment was high. Seeing this, Iruka and the Third Hokage tried to spread the true story of what had happened, but very few villagers paid attention, let alone gave them credence.

Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji were the only ones who stood by Naruto … or at least his reputation, seeing as Naruto had disappeared, along with the Scroll Of Sealing. This was made private knowledge only the Hokage, Iruka and a few select jonins knew. These few jonins were ordered to find and return Naruto and the Scroll, but one of them pressed for a more … decisive way to sort out Naruto. The Hokage quickly made it clear what his _precise_ orders were, and also commented on the undisciplined behaviour people were starting to show. That shut everyone up. There was one more person who, though not vocally, stood by Naruto's side. That person believed in their heart of hearts that the village meant more to Naruto than anyone realized, and that he wouldn't harm it in any way. In fact, it was this very same person who knew precisely where Naruto was, though not the physical location. That person knew what Naruto was up to because that person knew what Naruto was like deep inside.

But no one would find Naruto or the Scroll, but every few months for the next two years rumours would often pop up of a sighting. What was strange though, was the fact that some rumours of a sighting would surface at exactly the same time, from two totally different places … hundreds of miles apart. It was insane, and soon the distances jonins were willing to travel dwindled down ever so slowly. Time is a great healer, as is often said, and soon Naruto became nothing more than a memory, a forgotten nightmare. He was slowly forgotten.

But that one person always believed, always knew that Naruto would come back to the village, the village he loved more than anything else in the world.

Naruto wouldn't understand what had happened the night he did the Shadow Clone Jutsu, when the scholar, whose name was Taita, had done the really spooky red-fire jutsu until six and a half years later. In the time in between, he simply did as he was told … or rather; each Naruto did as it was told. There was no life in Naruto … the Narutos … ah heck, you know what I mean. Anyway, worldly concerns had been removed from Naruto's mind, the hard way. Naruto thought it best to forget the past and move on. In every task he did, he put in one hundred percent. Not for the sake of wanting to please his new teachers or anything else like that, but for the sake of himself.

He was weak.

He had always been weak. Why? He had seen other students like Sakura and Sasuke pass with flying colours. Sakura's academic scores were the best the academy had ever seen, and Sasuke was one of the best in both practical and academic studies. There were others also like him; Ino was also a good academic, though weak in practical studies like Sakura; Kiba was a good all-rounder; Rock Lee was a great academic _and_ he was one of the best taijutsu practitioners; Neji Hyuga was also another great student. Hell, even Shikamaru, the lazy one, did better than Naruto. Some of these people were what a term applied to; geniuses. Students like Sasuke, Neji and even Rock Lee were considered geniuses because they excelled so much at what they did. Was that why he was weak? Because he wasn't a genius?

Naruto often played instead of doing his work, but he still worked hard when it came down to it. Even Rock Lee, who rumour had it couldn't do ninjutsu or genjutsu, was considered a genius by some. He was just that good at taijutsu. But Naruto had an advantage of being able to do ninjutsu, but still he didn't do better than Rock Lee. He had often admired just how powerfully and gracefully Rock Lee moved when doing his taijutsu. He was flawless. And yet he still managed to perfect his techniques.

Naruto would often wonder just what it was about Rock Lee that made him so proud and envious at the same moment.

And this was why he persevered in his studies when there was no reason to go on living; to be powerful. Naruto sought power, not to do something with it, but just for the sake of it. To prove that even he, a dropout, could amount to something. His dream, as he had previously shouted to anyone within listening distance, was to become Hokage. And a Hokage was the strongest ninja in the village. How could he become a Hokage, his dream, if he was so weak?

These thoughts often tormented Naruto. To be so young and yet so burdened like no other adults could ever be made him all the more isolated. It also helped to summon reserves of strength and discipline and determination that he hadn't known he had.

His new dream, the one he must accomplish before becoming Hokage, was to become strong. Not just strong like Sasuke was, as Sakura and Ino always harped on, but to become truly strong. He didn't know what that meant yet, but he knew he would know when he accomplished the goal.

The Naruto with the Konoha ninja, Sakumo, spent two years traversing the land alongside his master, doing as he was bid. They spent little time in the Fire Country, and more in other countries. During this time, Naruto was set a list of books to read and memorise. At first he was a bit incredulous, but very soon set himself a target, determined not to disappoint himself. The books included a number of titles including Ninjutsu for beginners, What is Chakra, The Human Anatomy, The Five Kages and The Five Villages, Elements in ninjutsu and many more. All these Naruto read, and had to reread a few times, but soon he had information running across his eyelids when he slept. It never occurred to him once that his teacher never actually taught him any ninjutsu. He was just fine starting from the basics.

After two years of traveling, they arrives back in the Fire Country, to the north where the big mountains were. On top of a peak two kilometers high, Naruto was given a handwritten test an inch thick on everything he had read. He passed with one hundred percent. From then on, things got more challenging. He started learning, not jutsu, but chakra itself, so that he could better control and use it. For a year he did exercises that improved him mental and spiritual self, and his chakra grew massively and his control of it increased.

After a year, he finally started using learning jutsu. He also got the odd pop quiz here and there, and he never failed, which meant he didn't get below ninety-five percent. He never moved on to another technique without being satisfied that he had mastered and could remember all he had done before. It was taxing, sometimes exhausting and exasperating work. Sometimes Sakumo would leave for a few days or weeks, but not once did Naruto slouch. He persevered. He became strong. Three years later, Sakumo said they were going back, and Naruto didn't question the decision, because he knew exactly where they were going.

_I am much stronger now, bust will it be enough?_ Naruto thought.

The Naruto with the samurai, whose name was Jin, made a swift journey to the lands far north where very few people lived and there was always cold and snow. When they got there, a regime was set up for Naruto. He had to wear lead weights on his hands, feet and back at all times. He would only get four hours of sleep. He would make a fifty mile run. He would eat only what was provided, nothing else. He would then do some exercises for two hours before taking a short break. He would then read a book until nightfall, when he would run another fifty miles. He would continue reading and memorizing until dinner, and then continue afterwards until midnight, when he would sleep. It was hard, but no once did Naruto complain. He did as he was told. The books he read included Taijutsu for beginners, The Human Anatomy, Kenjutsu (which is Sword techniques), The Way Of The Warrior, Martial Arts, Weaponry and many more.

After two years, Naruto moved onto actual taijutsu. He did basic martial arts like karate, aikido, judo, tae-kwon-do and tai chi. He mastered them all in a year and a half. These were the types of things learnt by samurais. He also now did weapons training, which included shuriken, kunai, katanas, escrima sticks, and many more. He mastered what he was set to do. After this, he had a practical and written exam, which he passed. He moved onto ninja techniques. It was at this time he learnt that his master was in fact a ninja who had first been a samurai of great renown before discovering of his ninja heritage and going to the Leaf Village to fulfill his duty.

He now started doing ninja taijutsu. This centred around three martial arts, which was enough for even a jonin to handle. He did the normal hidden leaf martial art called the Leaf Blade, a martial art from the Hidden Mist village called the Dance of the Waves and a more rare martial art called the Dragon's Hidden Claws. He excelled at this more than anything else.

After two and a half years, they left the snow lands and went on a journey south.

_I am much stronger now, bust will it be enough?_ Naruto thought.

The Naruto with Taita, the scholar-ninja, went on a journey of their own. But theirs wasn't to a specific destination. For six years, they were simply travelers. Although Naruto didn't know it, he had it harder than the other two. His master was impatient and demanded nothing but the best, and since Naruto wasn't a natural academic, things were tough for him for a while. For two years he trailed behind in his studies, and because they were constantly moving, Naruto was also expected to listen, learn, and study his surroundings. It took three years in total for Naruto to finally get into the right mindset. From here on, things were much easier. Naruto wasn't accustomed to using only his mind and not his body, so it was very interesting travelling with Taita. He read books called Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Strategy, Tactics, Economy, Politics, Jutsu, Art, Languages, Animal World, Insect World, Herb lore, Plants and their properties and many more. Things never got dull because of Taita's warped view of the world. Naruto also had to do some exercises like read aloud the names of various colour from a paper. The problem was that the word blue could be written in red ink, and therefore it was all very confusing. He also had to look into Taita's open palm and count the number of stones he could see and their colour. The problem was the palm would only be open for less than a second. Naruto learned to concentrate.

Naruto never took exams like the other two, but he was always constantly being quizzed, even when he was trying to concentrate on something else. He lost track of time, but he was also aware of everything around him from a mental state of mind. He was aware that he was growing more sophisticated in his thoughts. He was getting a more varied look on everything he knew, looking at it from new perspectives. So he noticed it when they changed direction and started going toward the Fire Country, toward home.

_I am much stronger now, bust will it be enough?_ Naruto thought.

The three Narutos met back at the cabin on a sunny spring day. They simply looked at each other, not knowing what would happen next. It was Taita who broke the silence.

"For now, what we have done for you is enough, Naruto."

"Thank you sensei," all three Narutos said simultaneously. There was no tone in their voice, but it was clear they were grateful.

"Now, I think, for the last link in the chain," Taita said with his usual vagueness. He stepped forward and put on the stance they all remembered. A red ring appeared in both his outstretched palms. Instead of going out to the boys, it turned blue and started sucking in air. Two red rings went out of the boys and into Taita's hand. Naruto knew what to do next.

"Release," the original said softly, and the Clones vanished in a plume of smoke. The real Naruto dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. It felt like a thousand knives were stabbing at his head. Images flashed before his eyes. Words and feelings his brain couldn't deal with at once exploded inside him. He didn't know how long he lay writhing, but when he did finally get up, he was alone at the cabin. The wind was rustling in-between trees.

"Thank you," he whispered softly.

He got up, looking at the giant unopened scroll at his feet. He lifted it up and looked at it for a while. He put it back down, and went to a nearby stream and washed. He discarded his clothes and wore new ones that his masters had left for him. There was a light blue-green kimono shirt, a pair of light green kimono trousers and some light blue ninja sandals. With a sense of finality, he burned his old orange outfit. He had left Konoha, and now had come back a changed person. Different clothes were in order. Putting on his shuriken holster and his weapons pouch, and shouldering the giant, unblemished scroll, Naruto headed toward the Hidden Leaf Village.


	3. Volume 1: Back At The Academy

Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Kiba, Shikamaru and Akamaru, Kiba's friend and pet dog, were on their way to the Academy. It was morning. The bright, spring sun cast a warm glow onto the buildings. Trees and leaves glistened and sparkled as the sunrays hit the morning dew. The ground was slightly wet because it had rained during the night, but in the village of the Leaf, the smell was very welcome. Everyone always enjoyed how beautiful their village could be.

It was Akamaru who first noticed the stranger. He walked past them from behind, his tread too soft for them to hear. He was wearing a light, nearly unremarkable ninja attire. He had a shuriken holster on, and a weapons pouch secured against his side by a string across his waist. There was a large scroll slung across his back. It was only when he was several feet ahead of them that Akamaru started barking softly.

"What is it boy?" Kiba asked.

"It's probably that stranger over there," Shikamaru said.

"I can't help think that there's something familiar about him," mused Sakura.

"I agree," Ino said. "He looks very familiar." Chouji, as usual, had his face in a packet of crisps. He had no input at the moment. To be honest, none of them thought Chouji's attention had been with them since they had picked him up. Akamaru continued barking, and this time Kiba's face wore an expression of interest.

"You say you know him?" Kiba asked, intrigued.

"He does?" asked Ino. "From where?" Kiba held up a finger to signal one moment.

"We know him as well?" he suddenly blurted, surprised. Akamaru nodded.

"We do?" Sakura said. "I think I would remember someone like him."

"Yeah, you would, wouldn't you Sakura?" Ino sneered. "Maybe you can catch up to him now and ask him out already."

"What would you know, Ino Pig?" Sakura screamed back.

"Hush!" Kiba said. His face suddenly went white.

"What is it," Shikamaru asked, worried.

"That boy…" Kiba said quietly.

"It's Naruto," Chouji finished for him. He threw away the empty packet of crisps into a nearby bin and wiped his fingers on his shorts.

"How…how did you know?" Kiba asked.

"His smell," Chouji answered simply as he took out another packet of crisps.

"His smell?" Shikamaru asked skeptically. They all knew Kiba had a better sense of smell than most shinobi. How had Chouji smelt Naruto?

"Yes," confirmed Chouji. "His smell. Naruto's the only person I know who can eat three different kinds of Ichiraku ramen in one seating and still be able to walk."

"Come to think of it, that boy did smell faintly of ramen," Kiba mused. All of them turned to look up the road, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto had sidled down an alley the moment he judged the group's attention was most diverted. A part of him, a very small part, was wondering what it would have been like to meet up with his old friends. But that part only occupied a negligible amount of space in Naruto's thoughts, and was therefore discarded as soon as it came. Besides, how would they react? Ever since he had left the Leaf Village, he had known questions and hatred would be the legacy of his name. Taita had made him think of what likely responses he would get if he ever returned a few years back. This had been during one of the rare moments when they were free to do what they liked due to a bad blizzard that had lasted three days. Not used to being idle, Taita had started giving his student several scenarios that Naruto had to solve: this was one of them. Taita, being Taita, had made sure not leave any holes in Naruto's carefully thought out responses, and so now Naruto knew that he would meet resistance and hatred wherever he went. Why would it be different with his previous friends?

He had a mission to accomplish at the moment. He guessed correctly that news of the Scroll had been kept very private, and therefore it didn't bode well if he just waltzed back into the village with a very powerful scroll slung across his back like a fish from the market.

Once in the shadows of the alley, he jumped from wall to wall until he was on the roof of the building, and putting speed before stealth, he made his way toward the Hokage's mansion. The trip was brief, and before long Naruto was scoping out the security of the mansion, which he found very appalling. Maybe it was because the Hokage was the most powerful ninja, or that the village had become too prosperous for its own good, but all Naruto could see were two chunin who sat at a stall dozing peacefully. Naruto frowned. His instinct, honed over the years by training and mock battles, told Naruto that something was amiss. He could almost feel it; a palatable taste in the air, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He smiled as he remembered one of Taita's teachings;

_When in doubt, walk in through the front door._

With that in mind, he simply went back into the sunlight and walked straight toward the sleeping chunin. They woke as he got nearer.

"Hello there," one said.

"What can we do for you?" the other said.

"I'd like to meet with the Hokage, please," Naruto said. They both just looked at him like he was the stupidest kid on earth.

"Kid," the first one said, annoyed, "is this some sort of prank? Because you just don't waltz here and demand to speak to the Hokage! He's a very busy man!"

"Izumo," the second chunin said, admonishing his friend. "Now, young man, what's your name?"

"Yagura," Naruto said without a pause. Another lesson he'd learned from Taita; how to lie, even to accomplished ninja. There were ninjas out there, ones who could tell you were lying from your eyes only, or from the way you moved, or even from the way you talked.

"Mine's Kotetsu. You have got to understand that in a few months, the chunin exams are going to be held here in Konoha, so the Hokage's workload has increased. He has barely time to sleep." Naruto bowed.

"I understand, but I think the Hokage will nevertheless agree to see me." With a slow movement, he took the scroll from his back and showed the name tag to Kotetsu. Both chunin paled. Naruto slung it back and entered the mansion with no protests from the two chunin.

The Hokage watched Naruto come into his mansion with a small smile. The boy had grown. There was a hardness about him now. He moved with purpose now, with fluidity and poise. He had grown physically; he was no longer short and scrawny, but tall and strong. He was dressed strangely though; his clothes weren't what most ninja would wear. The best way to describe them was that they were normal. They were what other people who weren't ninja would wear; casual clothes. But it was his eyes that most caught the Hokage's attention; they reminded him of a pupil he'd had a long time ago. They made him shiver; they were icily cold and impersonal.

"It seems he has returned," Asuma said from in front of the Hokage.

"That it does," the Hokage said.

"But why?" asked Kurenai

"Why not?" said the Hokage. He let his hands fall to the table and the crystal ball they had all been watching turned opaque again.

A knock sounded at the door.

They all looked as Naruto came in. There silence was almost like a living thing. Naruto, not deigning to notice any of this, walked straight to the Hokage's desk. They looked at each for a short time, and then suddenly Naruto onto his knees and kowtowed.

"Forgive me," he said hollowly. Asuma and Kurenai drew back in surprise. Forgiveness wasn't what they had expected Naruto to ask.

"What for?" The Hokage asked. His stare was direct and piercing, and an aura of power was palatable around him. If there ever was a time that Naruto needed proof that the Hokage was the strongest ninja in the village, it was now. Even if he simply looked like an old man ready to retire, it was what was on the inside that mattered; the tough inner core that had deceived so many ninjas.

"For abandoning the village. For taking the Scroll of Sealing. For putting the village in danger. A ninja's first priority is always the well being of his village. I let my own personal feelings cloud my judgement, and for that I am deeply ashamed. I ask for your forgiveness, Sandaime Hokage, and ask for a chance to prove myself." By the end of his little speech, the Hokage had sagged back into his chair and looked every bit the old man. He had no right to be angry with Naruto, he knew that. He knew that Naruto wasn't to blame for anything, and that the boy had meant it when he had said he was sorry. But he was also sad because the fun, loving and hyper boy he once knew was gone; instead Naruto had become this distant, impassive person and a total opposite to his natural personality. He couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Very well," The Hokage said. "You should hurry to the Academy, though. The exams start in five minutes." Naruto bowed again, and then stood and turned to leave. When his hand was at the door knob, the Hokage called out to him one more time.

"And Naruto?" the old man said.

"Yes?"

"Hide that scroll when you find the time."

"Of course."

The Academy was abuzz with rumours. Naruto, the traitor, had returned. Kiba and crew didn't get a moments peace, having to confirm the rumours every few seconds. The only respite they got was when the teachers announced the exams were about to start. All the students grudgingly went to their classes to sit the written exam. In Iruka-sensei's class, all the students couldn't help but glance at Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura; they wanted to here it from the horse's mouth. They knew it would be a waste talking to Chouji, guy never listened.

Just as a chunin was about to signal the beginning of the exam – Iruka was away on business with the Hokage – the door opened silently. All the students turned to look as they saw a boy their age enter the classroom. He was above average in height, and his body was very fit. He was dressed in the normal shinobi sandals. He had a pair of three quarter shorts on, light green in colour. His long sleeved cotton jumper was light blue, nearly white, in colour, except for the collar, which was orange. He had a black polo neck T-shirt underneath. There was a leather strap running from his right shoulder and under his left arm to his back – they could all see the large scroll he was carrying. His blue eyes surveyed them all for a second, before going to the chunin in charge. His blond hair shone in the sunlight.

The chunin frowned.

"Who are you," the chunin asked.

"Yagura," Naruto replied.

"Well, what do you want?" the chunin asked after a pause.

"The Hokage sent me to take the genin exam," Naruto replied. The chunin's frown deepened.

"You have to be on record to do that," the chunin said dismissively.

"I am," Naruto said. "I'm simply under a different name."

"And that would be?" the chunin asked, now tapping his right foot.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The room went silent. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for the punch line, but none came. The chunin looked at him askance, now worried. He waited for a moment, and then sighed.

"Well sit down then," he said in a resigned voice. Without another word, Naruto took the empty seat at the front of the classroom and started on his paper.

An hour and a half later, the students silently got up and headed into the next room. There was a minute's respite as they waited for their next examiner. Things had switched around and now they had a ninjutsu exam instead of a taijutsu exam. Things had also changed in the taijutsu exam; you now fought a fellow student and had to demonstrate you knew most of the techniques.

All the students whispered and pointed at the solitary figure standing by the window, looking outside. He was ignoring them, lost in his own thoughts. Kiba and crew were a little apprehensive; they didn't know how to act around him. So they left that for until after the exams. Meanwhile, Naruto would just have to cope on his own.

The door opened and another chunin entered. This one was short tempered and told them all to get into a line. They obeyed, and as he called them forth, they had to do each and every technique they had learned at the Academy, which wasn't hard considering they were only five. They were the Clone Jutsu, the Rope Untying Jutsu, the Replacement Jutsu, the Transformation Jutsu and the Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu. To pass with honours, you had to get them all right on the first go and within the time limit. To pass with a high grade you had to get four, the Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu among them. To simply pass, you had to get three jutsu right, with at least two within the time limit.

When Sakura was first called, the room went silent. It was awful and exhilarating at the same time to see who would take the first fall. But they needn't have worried, for Sakura passed with high marks. She managed to get four techniques within the time limit, but the Clone jutsu took her another try to get it right. Her first clone has been very dodgy.

As the line progressed, the room started filling with whispers. Naruto would be last. What would happen? Well, when the time came, the room took on the silence like a cloak.

"You're that new kid, right?" snapped the chunin. Naruto didn't answer. It was pretty obvious, he thought.

"Well, get on with it then," the chunin said after a moment.

The students slowly made their way toward the Academy dojo. They were all slightly shocked that of their whole class, only Sasuke and Naruto had passed the ninjutsu exam with honours. They had thought that maybe Sakura, Ino, Kiba and Raiden would be in that group as well. They were gossiping about how Naruto's written exam would turn out, and the three who had pranked Naruto so long ago were now spreading rumours about how Naruto might have been training with some criminal S-class ninjas or with another village. I mean, there was no way that Naruto could have gotten that good.

The dojo was packed with quite a few parents and ninjas who had come to see the new crop. Most were chunin, but some were jonin, and they had come to see exactly what these could-be genins were capable of. After all, there was a three in forty chance that three of them would be in his or her squad. The students all went and sat in the front row, waiting to be called on. Each student would fight three bouts against his or her chosen opponent. Wins weren't what was expected. It was the exhibitioning of all the techniques that had been taught that was wanted.

There were quite some entertaining matches as the morning dragged on. This wasn't surprising seeing as most of the students were on an even level. Some more disappointing matches were the ones between Neji and Raiden and Tenten and Shikamaru. Raiden and Shikamaru were completely outmatched and each bout lasted about thirty seconds while the bouts were for three minutes. The more exciting ones were the ones between Sasuke and Kiba and Chouji and Rumiko. All four students were very good, and there had to be a fourth bout because spectators were demanding more. But after roughly two hours, there was only Naruto and Rock Lee.

They both got onto the wooden floor, never taking their eyes off one another. They faced each other, barely paying attention to a chunin drone on and one about the rules. After a moment, Naruto took of the Scroll and placed it gently against the wall away from the other, the name facing away. He went back to the center and stood still, watching Rock Lee again. The two squared off, not moving, even when the chunin signaled them to fight.

"Can we have just one single bout?" Naruto asked. Rock Lee smiled.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because mindless pauses would only get in our way. I want a long, uninterrupted fight so that I can fight you at your best. It would be an honour, Lee-senpai." Lee and everyone there looked slightly taken aback, but then Lee turned to the chunins.

"Is this alright?" he asked. They simply shrugged.

"I don't see why not," one chunin said. Gai suddenly stood from the stands, and with tears in his eyes, he cried out:

"Fight with all your strength, because you are in the springtime of youth! Yeah!"

"Yes Gai-sensei," Lee cried out with equal ferocity. He suddenly stood in his stance, his body relaxed and poised for attack. Naruto simply blinked, then gave a smile that completely transformed him for a second into the happy and goofy guy they all remembered.

"Enthusiastic," he commented.

"Fight!" a voice suddenly cried out. It was Iruka-sensei.


	4. Volume 1: Kakashi's Decision

Naruto and Lee fought for what seemed to them like hours. They were equally skilled, like two matched blades. They had the same speed, an insane speed no one expected for a graduating genin to have. They had the same strength that could make a depression in a concrete wall. They had the same level of skill in Konoha's main taijutsu style, The Leaf Blade. Of course, both boys knew different styles, but by unspoken consent they stuck to the Leaf Blade. The reason was simple; this wasn't some academy test for them. It was a matter of pride and curiosity. For Lee, who could only use taijutsu, meeting someone who was so proficient in taijutsu who wasn't Neji Hyuga was a truly daunting prospect. Now he had to get past another hurdle before reaching his ultimate opponent, Neji, and finally being recognised as a true shinobi. For Naruto, fighting Lee, protégé of Gai, who was in turn protégé of Jin, his samurai sensei, this was a chance to see if the level of skill had as it had passed through the generations. It hadn't. Rock Lee was just as good as him, if not a little better.

Their fight left the crowd speechless, completely silent. Other matches had been brief, mainly because either bad taijutsu pupils had been matched against each other or a good pupil and a bad one had been matched against each other. With these two, they were both exceptionally good, and what's more, they were fighting at their peak. Most of the spectators were too slow to catch the swift movement traditional of the Leaf Blade fighting style. In fact, only two students of the academy could actually all of the movements, and the reason was because of the _doujutsu_ potential in their bloodlines. After fifteen minutes of ceaseless, intense fighting, both combatants suddenly stopped. They came from their ready stances and stood straight up, never taking their eyes off each other.

_Well_, thought Naruto. _It seems that Jin's teachings have remained pure. I have been fighting Lee-senpai with 100 of my Leaf Blade skill and knowledge, and roughly 80 of my full power, and yet he has been with me every move I made. Impressive. He truly is a genius of taijutsu. But I have not even begun showing the expanse of my taijutsu. _

Meanwhile, Lee though; _the explosion of youth is strong in you, Naruto-kun, but I am afraid that I must show everyone I am serious and will one day be a true shinobi of the Leaf. I cannot lose._

Suddenly, two chunin appeared between Naruto and Lee in a puff of white smoke.

"The Hokage has declared that all academy students who have undertaken the tests today to go home and await his word. He has been watching them all and is making his decision as to who passes … and who fails. That is all. The exams are officially over!" With that, both chunins disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

Cheers suddenly erupted from both relieved students and hopeful parents. Faster than one would have thought possible, the hall soon cleared of all students. Inconspicuous as he was, Naruto made his way over to the wall where his giant scroll was resting. He slung it over his shoulder and made his way toward the exit. His sharp ears detected the talk of the whispering chunins left if the hall, and then the soft bang easily recognised as the after-effect of the **Body Transfer Technique**. He felt eyes in the back of his head, eyes he had not seen in over six years, and eyes he had been ignoring ever since he came back to Konoha. He sensed Iruka watching him. He stopped, and for a second sensei and student looked at each other, thinking, and then Iruka performed his jutsu and disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Naruto looked around the empty hall. He had heard one of the chunins whisper the name Kakashi Hatake, the famous Copy Ninja. Walking outside into the sunshine, he looked into the clear blue sky, noticing the moving clouds, and thought; _just what are you planning, Sandaime?_

It was two weeks later, and Naruto was sitting in the _fudoza_ position on the red bridge. It was just after six in the morning, and he was alone. Not even the birds had awoken yet. He liked the silence, the sense of isolation. It allowed him to unwind from the mask he had to wear day in day out. A ninja never showed emotion, as Sakumo had often told him, so Naruto was now used to hiding behind his expressionless mask. But at times, times like this, simply reveling in the beauty of the day and appreciating nature, Naruto could forget that he carried the Kyuubi within him. He could forget that most villagers, shinobi included, hated and feared him. He could forget that to him The Way of The Ninja was not a way of life but was his only chance at survival. He could forget all the enemies out there that would like to get their hands on him and the Demon Fox, and use both to their own ends. He could simply be. Live. Breathe. Freely.

Minutes later, he heard footsteps on the western end of the bridge. He recognised the tread. It was Sasuke, one of the few survivors of the Uchiha Massacre. After a few seconds of listening, Naruto went back to staring at the rising sun. Sasuke came and, after a small pause, sat next to Naruto. They did not speak to each other. After a small while, Sakura joined them. Immediately she was off on one subject or another, talking to Sasuke, who only replied with simple words. It was well into the day when finally they heard a puff of smoke and turned round to see their jonin sensei.

As Naruto looked at the Copy Ninja, he thought back to the day that he had fought with Rock Lee. That day, the Hokage had changed how graduates are selected, at the request of Kakashi. It had all been explained later, at the graduating ceremony. The entire episode all academy students had experienced had been a very powerful genjutsu constructed by Kakashi. It had taken them to a dream world where they had been pit against all manner of ninja enemies. As the genjutsu had worn on, Kakashi's plan had begun to take effect. Groups of three had begun to form among the students. Left with no one to form with, Naruto had joined forces first with Sasuke and then with Sakura. He had been surprised when he saw that they worked well together and could mimic and guess what the others were doing like an experienced team of chunins. Together, they had defeated the imaginary enemy ninja, and had finally managed to figure out they were under a genjutsu. During this time, Sasuke had awakened his Sharingan, and Neji his Byakugan. What was to be Team Kakashi had joined forces with what was to be Team Guy and managed to dispel the powerful illusion. Because of the stress on their nervous system, all the students had immediately fallen asleep. Of course, Naruto had been the first one to recover, two days later, followed by Sasuke who woke two days later. Everyone else woke in intervals after that.

And now, here they were, Team Kakashi, read to meet with their jonin sensei and see if he would accept them as his subordinates.

"Yo," Kakashi said, crouching on one of the bridge's ropes. He looked at his bizarre assortment. One was a qualified dropout who had just come back to the village. The other was a genius with the Sharingan and a killer intent bent on his brother. The last was a chakra gifted kunoichi who nevertheless let others bring her self-esteem down to the point that she would become useless to an entire team.

"Sensei," all three replied at the same time, bowing slightly. Kakashi nodded slightly. They had passed the first test: Respect your sensei. Yes, they would do. He could already see them passing the bell test. For a moment, he took his time looking into each of their eyes. In Sakura's, he saw determination; she would become a kunoichi to rival Tsunade herself, he was sure, she simply needed guidance and training. Next he looked into Sasuke's eyes. They were full of determination, as well as a greed for growth, recognition, and power. He wanted to kill Itachi so much it hurt, Kakashi knew. Pity. At the moment, Itachi was even more powerful than the Hokage. It would be harder to control him, but as long as he trained Sasuke, checked him, and showed the boy his full potential, Kakashi was sure he could keep Sasuke in line. Last was Naruto. For a moment, Kakashi could not read a thing from the boy. After a minute, however, he was finally able to see past the thick emotional barriers created to keep himself safe from hurt. He saw, above all else, the boy simply wanted to be safe. He wanted a family to go home to at night. He wanted friends to play with, to talk with. He wanted recognition that he wasn't merely a Demon, but a real person. All the potential Naruto had, having the Kyuubi within him, none of that mattered. The Way of the Ninja was simply a way for the boy to survive in the violent world he had been born into with such a bad karma. Lastly, Kakashi saw that Naruto craved to follow in the path of the Leaf's Saviour, the Fourth, and become a solid pillar in the community everyone could look up to.

_Yes_, Kakashi though, _these three are perfect. I will mold them into perfect shinobi The Leaf can be proud of. Now let's see if they are up to a B-rank mission to break them into the world of shinobi? Visiting the Land Of The Waves should be an interesting trip for Team 7._


	5. Volume 1: The Mist Demons

**Author's Note: Everything in the next few chapters will be the same as in the manga and anime. The mission to the Wave, the Chunin exam, the Konoha Invasion, the mission to find Tsunade and finally the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. I am only going to be assigning one chapter for each Arc so that you don't get bored so easily. All I want to do is create the perfect setting for when Naruto gets back after 3 and ½ years of training. (Orochimaru needs 4 years to complete preparations for his jutsu to transfer into a new body.) Also, in this story, because things maybe rushed, you might not get the fact that Naruto and Sasuke are the best of friends. An incident happens that makes them close (read below). Also, I want to bring another character to the forefront. Sakura is a great taijutsu kunoichi, and know a few jutsus, so she's not completely useless.**

**Enjoy!**

Team Kakashi crossed over into the Land of the Waves with relatively no trouble. As expected, they had met a few enemies on their, but nothing that could not be handled. At first it had only been a trio of bandits, which Kakashi had opted to run from. After all, he said, fighting should only be used as a last resort, especially where the enemy was not a ninja. But a few days later, they had run into a group of over forty bandits. Naruto had been ready to deal with them, seeing as he had the most stamina in the group, and he did not think they posed enough of a danger that he needed back-up. But Sakura had other ideas in mind. Naruto had guessed straight off that she was _very_ infatuated with the Uchiha, Sasuke, but he had not thought that the infatuation was so severe that she would sacrifice her own health. Casting a genjutsu on that many people was hard, even for some jonin. The mental stress had nearly been enough to knock her unconscious had Kakashi not secretly given her a food pill to reenergize her, without the other two team members noticing.

"That was a great jutsu, wasn't it, Kakashi-sensei?" she had asked tiredly, while keeping her eyes trained on Sasuke's back.

"Yes, that was very well done, Sakura," Kakashi had sighed. Sometimes children just had to be children.

"Yes," Sasuke agreed, after a short pause. The blush on Sakura's face had been like a lamplight. Naruto had been about to go into a tirade about the value of teamwork and logic when he had noticed Kakashi giving him a look that said: _don't you dare_. After a moments' pause, he had shrugged. After all, he had been about to take on the forty-odd bandits on his own, he couldn't go on about teamwork. But it still annoyed him that she would behave like this. Sakura was a very smart girl, which was one of the reasons why he had always liked her before he left Konoha, why he had had a crush on her. Now though, she had changed. It seemed Sasuke Uchiha was building himself quite a fan club, if the female academy students' behaviour he had noticed was anything to go by. He had let it go.

Three Chunin from the Mist Village attacked them three days later. Kakashi had only to walk a hundred metres before his three students had rejoined him. _Very impressive_, he had thought. They were very skilled, all three of them. At the moment, Sasuke was the most powerful of the three, but that thought made him pause. Naruto, who he had rated second, held an inner power, and he wasn't talking about the Kyuubi. There was something about the boy that made him change his mind, and after a moment's thought, he declared both boys equal, but Sasuke had more potential. Sasuke could use taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu, while Naruto only concentrated on taijutsu and ninjutsu. Sakura, meanwhile, was a natural genjutsu type. Her chakra control was very good, better than the two boys and nearly as good as his own. Because of this, she was also a natural at taijutsu. She needed to be good at taijutsu, after all, in order to compete in an academy mainly attended by males. But what had amazed him most was the way all three could coordinate their attacks and work together while barely saying a word. Despite the arguments they had while walking, the tension sometimes in the air, they worked extremely well, which made Kakashi proud. It had reminded him of his old team. Naruto was very much like himself back in those days, a stickler for rules and regulations. Sasuke was very much like Uchiha Obito with that crazy zeal to overcomes all obstacles and beat his rivals. Sakura was like Rin, so talented in chakra control and taijutsu, and yet could be so easily sidetracked.

For a moment he felt his old friend's ghost, Obito, beside him, guiding him. Yes, this team was very much like the old team, with the talented yet goofy sensei. Last time, tragedy had befallen all the team members. This time, Kakashi would make sure that the team survived. Unharmed. _And that's a promise, Obito_.

XXX

All three members of Team Kakashi were sleeping in the shade of a giant oak, at the base of the tree, just by the lake.

"And so these are the _highly capable_ ninja Konoha promised?" asked Tazuna, the master bridge builder.

"I agree, they do seem young and inexperienced, and that's because they are. This is their first mission," replied Hatake Kakashi. Tazuna looked at him like he had gone mad.

"What exactly is Konoha playing at?" he exploded angrily. "We paid good money, a lot of money, for some experience ninja to protect us from the rogue nin in this land. How come all we get are some kids?"

"You have me," pointed out Kakashi.

"Oh yes, one jonin and three wide-eyed genin are enough to protect me, my employees and my work from the dozen or so rogue ninja in this valley, are they?"

Before Kakashi could reply, another beat him to it. "We are quite capable, Tazuna-san." Kakashi spun on his left heel and used the extra momentum to add more speed and power to the kunai in his right hand. Tazuna turned just in time to see the kunai lodge deeply in the trunk of a poplar tree. There was no one there. Kakashi, however, did not move. He kept staring at the tree as if there was something there only he could see. Finally, to Tazuna's shock, the air above a tree branch started to shimmer and solidify, and the next second, Naruto came into the visible spectrum. He was staring at Kakashi.

"You have a good eye, Kakashi-sensei," he said.

_I didn't hear him approach_, thought Kakashi. Aloud, he said: "That is an interesting **Kakuremino**. I have never seen such a Cloak Of Invisibility jutsu. They don't teach that in Konoha." Naruto shrugged.

"I didn't learn it in Konoha," he said.

"Wait a minute," Tazuna said. "If you're here, then who's that?" he asked, pointing to the Naruto sleeping beside Sakura under the oak tree. Something almost like a smile played across Naruto's lips.

"That would be telling. And just to put those nerves that have been bothering you to rest, Inari and your daughter are safe and being watched after every second. No harm will come to them." Tazuna's jaw dropped.

"How did you…?" he was just too shocked that he was wrong about these kids. There was definitely more to them than met the eye.

"Know?" finished Naruto. "Well, there has been no attempt at you or your work for the past three weeks, and your concentration has been lagging for the past few days. It wasn't hard to guess what is on your mind."

"That's a nice little strategy you have set up, straight from the book. You set up a recon schedule. One of you sneaks away while the other two cover your disappearance with a simple genjutsu. You switch recon schedules regularly so none of you get overtired. I'm impressed. Even I missed that. Keep up the good work. Still think you were cheated, Tazuna-san?"

After a moment, the dazed bridge-builder shook his head. "No, no, I don't think I was." Naruto gave a curt nod and shimmered out of visibility.

XXX

The attack came out of nowhere, which isn't surprising when you consider the fact that it came from Zabuza Momochi, a rogue jonin from the Hidden Mist Village, also known as The Mist Demon. The Demon's zanbato, or his horse-cleaver, his sword, flew through the air with barely a sound. Only Kakashi's sensitive ears picked up the whistling sword cutting through the air saved Tazuna from an early separation with his neck. One moment, the sword was lodged deeply in the trunk of a tree ten metres above the ground, and the next moment a tall, thickly muscled man was standing on the six foot long sword. In the next second, Sakura and Sasuke were standing in front and beside Tazuna, protecting him from the immediate threat of the Kirigakure jonin.

"Zabuza Momochi, the Mist Demon," said Kakashi by means of introduction.

"Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, also known as the Sharingan Warrior. I had not expected Konoha to send you," Zabuza mused. Immediately, Sasuke visibly tensed, and Sakura could understand why. The Sharingan was the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, and since Kakashi was not an Uchiha, this occurrence needed explaining.

"Well," said Kakashi, "you win some and you lose some. This one, my unfortunate friend, you are going to lose." Zabuza laughed.

"I admire your confidence, Kakashi, but I have a secret weapon, an unbeatable tool." Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"That is unusual behaviour, especially for someone of your experience and wisdom. A ninja never reveals his secrets. Never."

"Ah, that's exactly it, Kakashi. My weapon is unbeatable, so even if I told you, there is nothing you can do about it," Zabuza said with a smile.

With that, The Mist Demon attacked. Sasuke grabbed the bridge-builder, unceremoniously threw him over one shoulder and got as far away and fast away from the fight scene as he could. Sakura provided the backup, making sure that no Clones of Zabuza were following. And after the Demon's announcement of an unbeatable weapon, both genin were on high alert. Suddenly, a shadow shifted from their left, but being so occupied with the fight between Zabuza and Kakashi, they didn't have enough time to act. They both felt a massive force pummel into them, and were thrown into the high branches of a tree. A second later they heard Naruto's exhaled breadth.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto?" Sakura practically shouted. He looked at her with an annoyed grunt.

"Saving your lives and our mission," he replied, no longer paying any attention to her.

"You could have taken us out! From what exactly?"

"From that," Sasuke stated, pointing at the ground. It was riddled with ice senbon, or fighting needles. There were hundreds of them, and judging from their position on the ground, they would have definitely killed the two genin and the bridge-builder. Sakura, thinking quickly, judged the angles and worked out where the ice needles had come from. She looked up into a tree to her right and saw a nin wearing a hunter-nin mask, who could not have been a year older than them.

"I missed," the hunter-nin's voice said. It sounded very feminine, but all three genin and the jonin were sure it was a male. On top of that, there was an air of power around the boy that made even Kakashi shiver.

"I see you have met my weapon," Zabuza said, taking a break from his taijutsu fight with Kakashi. "Haku, why have you revealed yourself so early?"

"I did not see why we have to waste so much time. I can easily take care of these genin and the bridge-builder while you kill Hatake Kakashi." Zabuza frowned.

"But I was so looking forward to testing out one of Konoha's elite," he complained.

"Don't get so cocky!" shouted Sakura. Naruto shook his head fractionally but vehemently. "We don't know what this guy's capable of, Sakura-chan. _You_ don't get so cocky."

"That's good advice, little girl," said Zabuza. "My Haku is even more proficient a ninja than I am." That shocked Kakashi, but all he did was wave at the genin to take care of Tazuna and destroy the new opponent, the second Hidden Mist Demon.

XXX

Naruto looked at Sasuke, and an understanding passed between them, an understanding that made Sakura jealous and remember as scene from when they had first set out. Kakashi had been trying to make conversation, trying to get the three new genin to know each other better so they could work more efficiently. Sakura had instantly taken that opportunity as an excuse to talk to Sasuke and intimately get to know him. Sasuke had disillusioned her. With a few words, he had told Kakashi that to get ultimate power, someone needed to work hard on their own, for their own, just like a certain man of Konoha. Naruto had stopped walking and looked up into the clear, blue sky.

"Uchiha Itachi," he had said. "Brother of Uchiha Sasuke, son of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha and heir to the Uchiha Clan and the Sharingan." Everyone had stopped walking, even Kakashi. They could all sense the killer intent coming from Sasuke, so strong for one so young. Naruto had not looked impressed at all. "If that's all you can do, then you haven't a hope of killing Itachi," he had said in an off handed manner.

"Shut up, Naruto" Sakura had admonished. "Sasuke is way better than you, so I don't see how you can talk."

"No, Sakura, he isn't, and even Kakashi here will confess to that. Sasuke is very powerful for a genin, but compare him with his brother's record, and he is nothing more than a wannabe." That had been enough for Sasuke. He had attacked. Kakashi had stopped him. Naruto did not even flinch. He had continued to talk like nothing had happened. "By the time Itachi was 13, he was in ANBU, and officially a jonin. You are 13, but you are barely a genin yet. He mastered his Sharingan by the time he was 8, you are 13, and you have barely activated yours." Naruto shook his head. "Even I, who does not possess any special skills like your _doujutsu_, can challenge the Uchiha supremacy."

"Don't get cocky, dropout," Sasuke had said vehemently, his eyes tinged with anger. "I can take you on any time of the day."

"But not now," Kakashi had said firmly. "We have a mission to complete, and fighting amongst ourselves will not help us complete this mission."

"Which is a lesson you need to learn, Uchiha," Naruto had said. "Itachi joined the ranks of genin, Chunin and jonin teams. He even joined an elite ANBU squad. And you know why? Because the path to individual strength lies in a group. He constantly pitted himself against his seniors and superiors until he was the best. That's one lesson you can learn from him. If you want to advance any higher, forget about that damned Sharingan and fight me, because rest assured, Sasuke, I will always be one step ahead of you."

By now Sasuke had calmed down. There was almost a smile on his lips, a smile of anticipation. "I want to fight you too, Naruto. We'll see who's ahead of whom."

XXX

Ever since then, there had been some kind of mutual understanding between the two that transcended Sakura's understanding, and it's this understanding that now passed between the two now. With a nod, Sasuke jumped up into the air to deal with the second Mist Demon, Naruto close behind him.

XXX

The fight with Zabuza was not going well. Kakashi had refrained from using the Sharingan, which meant that Zabuza had a distinct field advantage over him, seeing as they were in the Demon's Land of origin, next to a Lake that provided a source for Zabuza's many and varied water jutsu.

"I'm disappointed, Kakashi," Zabuza said. "The Sharingan Warrior I heard would have me backed into a corner by now. It seems you have rusted ever since you left ANBU, Kakashi. I have had enough fun with you. It's time to conclude this fight."

"I think I can still surprise you," Kakashi said, but all he felt inside was trepidation. He had never felt this drained in his entire life. The Mist jonin had him in a killer vice, slowly squeezing. If he was going to change the course of this fight, it had to be now. Without another thought, he pulled up the strap of his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye. At once, he saw what had been happening to him. The jutsu responsible for his much reduced reflexes, speed and strength was as apparent to him as day. It was clever, the way the jutsu worked. If he hadn't been used to controlling the Sharingan to an A-class level, he would never have spotted it. The boy, Haku, was helping Zabuza. Zabuza had never really created the mist, it was the boy. How Kakashi had missed such a basic ploy, he would never know.

_But it's not surprising_, thought Kakashi. _The boy can make hand seals with only one hand, which I have never heard of before. He also has that Kekkei Genkai ability with __**Hyouton jutsu**__, or Ice techniques, which he seems to have mastered. On top of that, he has ANBU level skills in taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu. Even Sakura over there couldn't pin him down. Also, he seems to have mastered his chakra, which makes him a very dangerous enemy at only 14 years of age. This does not look good for Naruto and Sasuke._

"Replying on that Sharingan already? I'm disappointed, Kakashi. We have but barely begun."

"I'm going to finish this now, Zabuza, but for that, I'm going to need a little help." Naruto and Sasuke, who had just taken a break from the beating they were getting from Haku, heard their sensei's statement and looked at Kakashi in surprise. Kakashi looked straight at them.

"You need to eliminate that ninja, and quickly."

Just then, the giant blade of the zanbato came from the side, slicing Kakashi in half. The two genin looked on in shock, only to sigh in relief a second later when Kakashi turned out to be a water clone.

XXX

Naruto and Sasuke, however, were not so lucky. Haku had taken the chance to set up a trap that they would never survive. He used his **One Thousand Death Needles** technique in combination with his senbon attacks. Naruto, not having fully recovered from the last round of senbon, was too slow to react. Sasuke had to save him, putting his life in danger. The image that would always stick to Naruto's mind is that of Sasuke slowly falling to the ground, the red eyes of the Sharingan with one tomoe slowly turning back to their normal black, and finally glazing over in a sign of lifelessness.

"You have never seen someone die, have you? A comrade, that is?" Naruto could only utter a few noises. Sasuke was dead, and it was his entire fault. He had thought he had gotten stronger over the years, but no amount of training seemed to decrease the gap between him and so called geniuses. First it had been Sasuke at the academy, and now it was this Haku. No matter how much he tried, he would always be rock bottom. How could he show people that he was a great ninja, worthy of the title of Hokage if he let people like Sasuke and Kakashi down at every turn? If he lost Team 7 their first mission?

XXX

_Deep inside Naruto, in the darkened alleys of the boy's subconscious, a power woke. It pulsed. Once. Twice. Thrice. The power of the Kyuubi rose to the surface. The Demon Fox, which has mostly lain dormant over the past 13 years, now woke for the first time. It laughed._

"_Well, well," the fox said. "Looks like the boy has some potential after all. Already he can call upon my power, as per the Fourth's plans. It's only a little, but he has time to improve … I wonder if he will go so far as to release this seal…?"_

_A wave of killer intent and hunger reached the Fox. It sighed. "Such impatience. So much like a young cub. He needs to learn manners, but since my survival hinges upon your survival, boy, I shall let you off this time."_

XXX

Zabuza lay on the ground. He had no more energy left to fight. He was completely drained of chakra, and what's more, the two Konoha genin had managed to kill Haku, his perfect weapon. With Haku at his side, Zabuza was absolutely certain he could have organized the perfect _coup d'état_, overthrowing the current Mist government and making him the new Mizukage. But now that dream was over. The boat had sailed. He had been defeated.

Kakashi stood over Zabuza, the Copy Ninja's right arm still smoking because of the jutsu it had just performed.

"Well played, Momochi. Well played," was all Kakashi said before the Hidden Mist Demon closed his eyes for the last time and sank into blissful darkness.


	6. Volume 1: Healing Wounds

The fight with the Hidden Mist Demon taxed Team 7's strength considerably. They stayed with Tazuna-san and his family for a while, waiting for the day their wounds healed enough to allow them to travel back to Konohagakure. Naturally, Naruto healed fastest, and was up and about the second day after the fight with Zabuza and Haku. He kept silent, to himself. Inari and he had become close in the weeks leading up to the fight with Zabuza, but now a gulf stretched between them. Inari was worried. Naruto left the house early in the morning and came back at night, drenching in sweat and sometimes barely able to move. He struggled through dinner, not talking unless directly spoken to. Often Inari had tried to engage Naruto in conversation, but after one night when an annoyed Naruto had severely reprimanded Inari on the value of silence, Inari had lessened his efforts. The cycle would repeat itself all over again the next day. Inari decided to speak to Kakashi and Naruto's teammates. He would get to the bottom of his friend's strange behaviour no matter what.

XXX

Naruto looked up at the blue morning sky. Far to the east he could see the shadowed forms of two doves flying aimlessly, with the sun at their backs. The clearing he was standing in was quiet, peaceful even. For a full minute he stood in silence, looking up at the blue sky. His forehead was slightly creased in thought. Finally, with a sigh, he looked down to the tree in front of him. On it were several scratches, much like those made by animals when sharpening their claws. Naruto looked down to his hands. His nails were a clean crystal colour, several centimeters long and sharp. He formed a fist and felt his nails digging slightly into his palm, but there was no pain. No physical pain at any rate. Naruto tightened his fist until he felt the tough skin of his palm give way to the sharp points of his nails. Slowly, the emotional barrage Naruto had been experience lessened to a dull throbbing pain. It was only that he removed the giant scroll from his back, the giant scroll that he had been carrying for just over six years. When he thought back to the day Mizuki-san had tricked him, the corners of his lips quirked. Such a fool Mizuki had been, to believe that the Hokage would entrust the safety of the Village's Hidden Scroll to a cabin in the woods anyone could come by.

No, the scroll Naruto had gotten was not the Hidden Scroll, but something of equal value, at least in his eyes. It was the _**Ninpou: Sukuro-ru Issen Taijutsu Kyuujo**_ (**Ninja Arts: Scroll of One Thousand Taijutsu Aid**). There were only a few in existence as they were very hard to make. Basically, a _**Taijutsu Kyuujo Sukuro-ru**_, or Taijutsu Aid Scroll is a scroll with a weapon sealed into it. These range from simple kunai and shuriken to giant shuriken and swords, which were either too cumbersome or inconvenient to be carried normally. There are similar summoning scrolls called _**Tobidugo**_ or Projectile Weapons, and while a small blood sacrifice and chakra is required, the Taijutsu Aid has a much more varied selection of more reliable weapons, because only the best are sealed. Naruto almost smiled. Mizuki would have benefited more from acquiring the Taijutsu Aid, because if rumour was true, then all the techniques in Konoha's Hidden Scroll were too difficult for him to master. It was difficult to summon from the Taijutsu Aid, but not as difficult as the Hidden Scroll. Also, working your way up, you could become powerful enough to summon weapons like Sakumo Hatake's Chakra Saber, which was restored to its former glory by a master craftsman after the Kyuubi's attack on Konohagakure.

Naruto opened the scroll partially. He bit his thumb, drawing a drop of blood. He smeared it in a line down the page of the scroll. With a small _pop_ and an explosion of smoke, a pair of greaves and vambraces appeared. He opened the scroll further, repeated the process, and this time summoned a red bamboo taijutsu practicing post built in the shape of an average sized man. Naruto closed the scroll and put it by the base of the tree with the scratch marks. He came back to the centre of the clearing and put on the vambraces tight on his forearms and the greaves tight on his shins. He sat down in the _fudoza_ position and formed the tiger seal. He focused on the greaves and vambraces, sending out a wave of chakra to each. The ground under his cracked and sunk a few centimeters as Naruto's weight increased. He sent out another wave of chakra, this time bigger, and the ground deepened a bit more. A bead of sweat appeared on Naruto's forehead, but this time Naruto ignored it. The instructions for using the greaves and vambraces specifically said to stop when the user's body first gave signs of discomfort. But Naruto had had enough of playing it safe like he has been taught by Jin the Samurai Ninja or his other sensei. He was doing things his way from now on.

XXX

Inari patiently waited for Kakashi to answer his question. Kakashi put down his crutches, lowered himself gingerly down onto the bed, and took out his "_Icha, Icha_" book but did not read it. Instead, he looked up at the ceiling. Perhaps this was the perfect time to build up a little more team spirit. Sasuke and Sakura were resting on their respective beds, but he knew they were awake. The worst effects of the fight were past, and now they were merely restless. This would educate and entertain them for a while.

"Naruto, eh?" Kakashi said out loud. "A truly unique boy." Kakashi let his book rest on his chest, crossed his feet and put his arms behind his head, still looking at the ceiling. "His unfortunate life began 13 years ago when the Sandaime Hokage discovered him in a Shinto shrine just outside Konoha that had managed to escape the destruction of the Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox…"

XXX

After three minutes of continuously pouring his chakra into the greaves and vambraces, Naruto finally relented. He fell back onto the ground with a sigh of relief. The aids he had summoned required the user's chakra to activate their abilities, and the more chakra the user poured into them, the higher the level they operated at. A ninja's chakra level is determined by the amount of training and experience they have, so it follows to reason that a genin would only be able to put a small amount of chakra into the aids, a chunin more, a jonin even more, and finally a Kage the most. The greaves and vambraces had incorporeal chakra links to the training post. Because the training post could not think or see, the chakra links helped the post to gauge the position of its summoner, thereby allowing it to attack or defend accordingly. The vambraces and greaves also served as chakra weights, and helped refine the summoner's chakra control.

Naruto slowly stood up, his eyes on the post. The greaves and vambraces, known as the _**Doragon Yoroi**_, or the Dragon Armour, were set on a very high chunin chakra level. This was the highest they had been set when Naruto was using them, and it made him wonder just how advanced the training post's attack, defense and tactics would be. He closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and focused his chakra. He opened his eyes. He activated the training post.

"**Kai!**" he shouted.

XXX

The room was completely silent. Kakashi had reached a pause in his retelling.

"So let me get this straight," Inari said after a while. "Naruto, the guy who saved me and my mother from certain death at the hand of Gatou's samurai; the guy who helped you defeat that Zabuza guy and that Haku kid; the only one of you ninja who has actually shown that he's here to protect us, is an outcast? In Konoha? Why?"

Kakashi looked over at Sakura and Sasuke. "You'd have to ask his teammates that," he said quietly. Sasuke looked at Kakashi, then at Tazuna, Tsunami and finally Inari. He uttered a small sound of contempt, stood up slowly and left the room. He wasn't going to sit around while they judged his actions. They had no right. It wasn't his fault if Naruto was a loser. Sakura was surprised both by Kakashi's statement and Sasuke's behaviour. Up until now, she had never questioned her behaviour toward Naruto. He was the annoying kid in their class who had always messed around. He was never serious and probably never would be. When he had left, things had become more bearable. Even slackers like Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji had started getting better grades. She said as much to Inari.

"I see," Inari sneered. "So Naruto was not as focused as you were, is that right?" Sakura nodded. "Wow," Inari continued, "I don't think we should trust our lives to you. The way you swoon after that Sasuke guy makes me wonder if you are any better than Naruto. If I heard right, it's Naruto who killed that Haku guy, not your precious Sasuke. He's trying to sort his life out, and what do scum like you do? You bring him down. Always. Never giving him a chance. You make me sick! Why if–"

"Inari, that's enough!" shouted his mother, Tsunami. "These people are here to help us, so behave yourself." Inari got up, cast a disgusted look at the shocked Sakura and left the room.

"Kakashi, I'm so sorry for my son's behaviour. He just hasn't had someone to believe in for a long time. He's taking Naruto's behaviour close to heart. I'll go talk to him."

"No, no, it's quite alright," Kakashi said, waving an arm airily. "These two need to learn to appreciate the new Naruto more and stop judging him. If they looked, I think they would be quite surprised to find out what lurks beneath his tough exterior." He took up his book again and started. Sakura was speechless. How could they judge her and Sasuke this way? She stood up in a huff and left the room. Kakashi spared her look and sighed. _What have I got in store, I wonder?_

XXX

Naruto wiped away the blood that was dripping into his eyes, obscuring his vision. In that second it took to do so, however, a powerful elbow strike hit him over the head, driving him to his knees. A powerful knee strike caught him in the stomach, lifting him up shakily to his legs. He coughed blood. Finally a shoulder barge sent him careening ten feet in the trunk of a tree. He quickly brought his hands together before another attack interfered. He formed the ram seal and said, "**Houmen!**" The puppet jutsu that had been connecting the dragon armour and the training post, allowing the post to function, was released, broken. He heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the post go limp, no longer active. He rolled off the tree and onto the grass, welcoming its relieving wet texture at his back. He looked at the blue sky. It hadn't changed. It was still peaceful, his struggles having not affected it in the least. It reminded him of how cruel, cold and uncaring the world was. He closed his eyes and tried to numb himself to those thoughts.

After a while, he sighed, raised himself so that his upper body was supported by his arms and looked up into the tree line.

"Are you going to stay there all day?" he asked loudly. Silence greeted him for a short while, but finally Inari came out from his hiding place. Naruto looked at him and smiled his goofy smile.

"Sorry about my awful behaviour," he said. "I shouldn't have sniped at you."

"It's alright," Inari said. "Kakashi told me about your … history." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It struck me how similar we are," Inari continued, "what with people always trying to bring us down. Even now Gatou is trying to kill my grandfather and stop his dream. But where I gave up, you kept on going. You never gave up, no matter what was done to you." Naruto shrugged.

"What keeps me going is my dream," he said. "To become Hokage, to prove to everyone that I'm not a dropout. I want to prove to them all that even though I'm not a genius like Sasuke or smart like Sakura, I can be useful. People always called me a nuisance, and even after I came back to Konoha a few months ago, even though I passed my genin exam with good marks, they still didn't acknowledge me." Naruto got up and dusted himself off. He wiped the blood of his wounds, and to Inari's surprise, the lumps and cuts and bruises that he had seen on Naruto a few minutes ago were now gone. When Inari had found Naruto training with the post, he had made a note to get his mother to bandage Naruto's wounds. Now it looked like all Naruto needed was a good bath. Naruto saw him staring and laughed. "I have always been a fast healer."

Naruto stood his full height and took three deep breaths. He focused his chakra and concentrated it into the dragon armour. After a moment he formed the serpent seal. He activated the post. The moment the post moved, he knew what Jin ha taught him was true. A good shinobi needed only to see an enemy's moves once to be able to recognise and counter them. Despite the fact that the post was still moving with the speed of a chunin, Naruto's eyes could now track it easily. He could see where it was, and because it was a brainless and unimaginative post designed only to attack and defend, the moment it got into a certain posture, Naruto knew it was going to come in first with the **Konoha Senpuu**. Knowing this, he ducked under the high spinning kick. When the second low spinning kick came, he raised his left arm into the air, put his left leg beneath the arm, and then brought his elbow down in a sharp, fast strike that trapped the post's leg between elbow and knee, digging the elbow into the post's ankle. Because the post was inanimate, it did not feel pain, but the technique Naruto had performed, the **Kosa Ho**, or the Intercepting Technique, nevertheless damaged the structural integrity of the post's leg. The post jumped back, back spun three times and landed ten feet from Naruto. Naruto saw that it avoided putting weight on its right leg. He smiled.

"That's why I have been coming here," Naruto said, addressing an impressed Inari. He had seen that the post was clearly faster than Naruto, but Naruto nevertheless seemed to have the upper hand in this fight. "To train. When Sasuke and I fought Haku, the gap that I have been working hard to close just seemed to get bigger. First of all, in that fight, Sasuke was the one who contributed the most. Without him, I would never have been able to defeat Haku. And then there is Haku; the kid was our age, but he was at Kakashi's level, who is a jonin. I mean, if I am to become Hokage, how can I protect the village from such strong opponents when I'm so weak? It really broke my heart, seeing Sasuke save my life at every turn. I could not even keep up with their fast attacks!" By this time Naruto was yelling. All the while he had been talking; he had been fighting the post. Their exchanges had begun from simple Leaf Blade and Strong Fist taijutsu, but by the time Naruto was pouring his heart out to Inari, they were exchanging blows with unerring precision, great strength and fast movements. Inari could no longer keep up with them. All he could here was Naruto's voice because the genin and post did not keep in the same place for more than half a second. Naruto jumped back and landed on the lowest branch of a tree. Inari could see that Naruto was getting in a bad way; the genin's face, arms, legs and abdomen were bruised or even bleeding. But as Inari looked, he saw that the post was in worse shape; several of its bamboo limbs were heavily damaged or even shattered. Naruto formed the tiger seal and said clearly, "Level Two!"

"I understand," Inari said, no longer bothering to try to see Naruto. Instead, he looked in the direction of the river and the bridge his grandfather was building. "I was tired of being weak. I was always getting bullied. I even failed to save my dog from drowning, but then I met a man that revived my faith. After that man died, I simply gave up again. If my hero could not save himself, then what chance did I have?" Inari ignored the sound of shuriken and kunai blades clanging together and stood up. "But you made me believe again, Naruto. One person can make a difference. All they need is determination. They need hope. They need faith." Inari smiled. "Thanks, Naruto!"

"Yeah, real nice kid. I'm happy and all for your new found faith, but I'm kind of busy here," Naruto said gruffly, but with a twinkle of humour in his voice. Since he had activated level two of the training post's skills, weapons and higher taijutsu skills had been introduced to the fight. Also because he had activated level two, all the training post's injuries had been healed using Naruto's chakra. To be able to access weapons, some more chakra was required for the post to summon them. Naruto was beginning to feel the mental strain and the heavy drain on his stamina. To conserve chakra and stamina, Naruto needed to be able to control the amount and concentration of chakra the post took from him, which helped his overall chakra control.

Inari laughed and waved in Naruto's general direction as he walked away. "Whatever," he said. "I'll see you tonight. Try not to be late as usual and keep everyone waiting." Naruto simply nodded, too preoccupied to reply verbally.

XXX

_**Two Weeks Later…**_

Kakashi looked down at the waiting genin and smiled. Ever since that incident at the house, all three team members seemed to have gotten closer. Even Sakura no longer shouted at Naruto needlessly like she used to do when annoyed. Sasuke … well, Sasuke was still Sasuke, but he seemed to have gotten the message. For effective team work, all members needed to work together and trust each other. He no longer shrugged off Naruto and Sakura, but he wasn't exactly friendly either. It was a compromise, but it worked. As for Naruto, Kakashi had been spying on him regularly and had found out that Naruto was in possession of the _**Ninpou: Sukuro-ru Issen Taijutsu Kyuujo**_. He was surprised when he found out that the **Taijutsu Aid** contained the famous Dragon Armour, and had been about to confiscate it until they got back to Konoha when he saw the sweat glistening on Naruto's skin and the determination in the boy's eyes. He was sure the boy did not know about all of the armour's abilities, and he would enlighten Naruto until he judged the boy ready, but for the time being the famous **Doragon** **Yoroi** had found a worthy, if albeit lowly, use.

With a puff of smoke, he appeared in front of the three impatient genin. He ignored their many and varied protests about his bad timing, and when they finally calmed down, he put his book away. He looked seriously at each of them.

"Our mission is far from over," he said. "Gatou could hire rogue ninja or bandits at any time to come kill Tazuna-san, Inari-kun, Tsunami-san or the workers. Tazuna has assured me that the bridge will be complete within a month, but until then, we mustn't let our guard down. I gave us these two and a half weeks of rest because … well, frankly because I was tired. Our last fight tired us all out, especially me, since using my Sharingan is dangerous. But now we have to get ready for our next bout. There are many missing-nin from Kirigakure in this part of the Wave Country, as well as ronin and petty bandits. We must be able to deal with each and every one of them, whether they come alone or in numbers. To this extent, I have devised a training schedule that will keep us all busy. Because we still have to protect Tazuna as he goes to work on the bridge, we will only have time to train at night and early in the morning. It's going to be hectic, frustrating and tiring, but I need you to be strong. Understood?" Team 7 looked at each other and nodded. This was what they had imagined being a ninja was all about. After all, it was in the name. Nin literally meant endurance. They would have to endure.

"Good," Kakashi, said, smiling and taking out his book. "Let's begin by some simple tree climbing." His smile became even more pronounced when he saw their gawking mouths. It became somewhat sinister when he showed them _how_ they were supposed to do it. For a second, his sharp eye caught sight of the dragon armour and he wondered just how far Naruto was willing to go, and if he should take it from him. The armour was helpful as well as dangerous. The chakra exhaustion would injure Naruto's ability to help the team. But when he saw that Naruto trying to complete the exercise with no complications, he relented. After all, Naruto knew his own strengths better, and he had even more chakra than himself. With a shrug, he returned to his book. It was going to be a tense month. He would need all the entertainment he could get.

_**Ronin – a samurai with no master i.e. he has no daimyo, or feudal lord, to command him because he either defected or his master is dead.**_


	7. Volume 1: The Hozuki Brothers

Naruto gritted his teeth at Sasuke's insult but did not rise up to it. Instead, he concentrated on the calculations in front of him. So far, he was the only one of the three genin who hadn't tried to climb the tree. Sakura had already managed to reach the top, much to her delight and Sasuke's displeasure. He had noticed how crestfallen she had seemed and scowled inwardly. Her emotions were becoming repetitive, tedious and a danger to the team. She would become a liability and a hindrance at this rate, but since she had easily done the exercise and he hadn't even begun, he kept his mouth shut, but resolved to approach Kakashi about it. Something needed to be done, and soon.

The exercise was simple; use chakra to stick the feet to the tree. But the amount of chakra needed to be just right, or else the user would not stick at all because of too little chakra, or would be pushed off because of too much chakra. This exercise was similar to the one Naruto had been taught by Sakumo, where he was required to stick a leaf to his forehead, and then gradually increase the distance between leaf and forehead. Sakumo had been able to increase the distance up to ten metres, making it seem like he was levitating the leaf, before he had asked Naruto to do it. As Naruto looked at the calculations, he hoped they were right. He had to calculate his increased weight because of the chakra weight effect of the dragon armour he was wearing. Sasuke and Sakura hadn't seen it yet because of Naruto's long sleeved kimono shirt and trousers, which is why they brushed him off and called him an idiot when he had been slower than usual as a result of the increased weight.

Naruto slowly approached his tree, noticing that Sakura was now jumping from tree to tree with Kakashi as the next stage of the training. Naruto put one foot firmly on the tree trunk, and then the other. It was a strange experience, looking directly up a tree with his back only a metre of the ground. Then ever so slowly, he started climbing the tree. He took it slow so he would get the amount of chakra just right for the next foot. One foot after another, he went up the tree. Sasuke noticed that Naruto was slowly approaching the highest point he had been able to reach and gritted his teeth. He would not come last to a dropout. Losing to Sakura was bad enough. Kakashi noticed the scene, and felt the underlying tension between the two boys. He landed on a branch out of sight of the two boys, and a moment later Sakura landed beside him. Together, they watched.

Just as Naruto reached Sasuke's highest point, he put a slightly more chakra than was required down his right foot. The bark gave way beneath his foot and Naruto was pushed back from the tree. He landed silently on the ground and gritted his teeth. Already the Uchiha had gained five metres on him. He went back to his calculation written on the floor and studied them for a few seconds, then changed a few numbers. Of all the shinobi intellectual skills, Mathematics and the Sciences were his best by far. Unfortunately, these skills were used rarely by shinobi, and so his talent went unrecognized. This was how Naruto had managed to perfect all the jutsu in his arsenal; by approaching the task with a level head and breaking it down into logical pieces so that his untalented self could learn difficult things easier. He started his climb up the tree again.

XXX

"Naruto, you idiot," muttered Sakura, thinking along the same lines as Sasuke, who was fifty metres away from her. "Kakashi-sensei said to run at the tree at first."

"Interesting," murmured Kakashi, as he unveiled his Sharingan so as to see the clearing the boys were in better.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, surprised by the impressed tone in Kakashi's voice.

"Well, Sakura," Kakashi said, unconsciously taking on his teaching tone, "With this exercise, its true that running at the tree will get you better results. By running at the tree, you gain momentum, and therefore have to use less chakra, which means that not only do you conserve chakra, but you also complete the task at a faster rate. It's a simulation of many shinobi fights; a ninja rarely has the time to stand still while fighting, so this prepares young shinobi like you for that. However, the system has drawbacks; first of all, because a trainee is not really focusing on his or her chakra whilst moving, the trainee will not gain the full amount of chakra control this exercise is designed to teach them; secondly, because a trainee is using the Trial and Error method, they will use a lot much chakra is they are not adept as you are, and therefore it may take some a lot of time to master such a simple exercise; thirdly, because a trainee is not fully aware of all the subtle movements of their chakra, the true purpose of this exercise may be lost on them for quite a while."

"The true purpose?" Sakura murmured.

"Yes, the true purpose," replied Kakashi. "Basically, this exercise is supposed to teach young ninja to focus their chakra so they don't waste any when doing jutsu. It teaches just how much chakra to put into a jutsu and in what differing amounts, since some jutsu can contain variable amounts of chakra types. There is a much more complicated exercise that accomplishes the same thing. While the Mist Village created it, Iruka Umino improved it especially for Konoha."

"Iruka-sensei?" asked Sakura in surprise. Their teacher at the academy had not seemed that special in her time there.

"Yes, Iruka," Kakashi said seriously. "He was offered several times the rank of Jonin by the Third, but each time he refused. He said that teaching young students was his passion. He is one of Konoha's best ninja, despite all appearances. He is even capable of giving me a hard fight. Without my Sharingan I would be hard pressed to beat him, if at all." Sakura could not help but stare. It seemed her first impressions of people were turning out to be wrong all the time. She turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto's method, on the other hand," continued Kakashi, "is a little different. From the look of his calculations, he has opted to put the amount and concentration of the chakra required into an equation, but since there is no official scale for chakra, his calculations will be dodgy at best. All the same, by the look of that equation, he is a very capable mathematician, and therefore his system of Trial and Error will grant him results faster. He has calculated his mass," Kakashi informed Sakura, not mentioning that it was five times _his_ own weight, "the thickness of the tree trunk, the force of gravity acting on him and finally just how much chakra would be required to lift his body, all things considered. This method works best because he is taking it slow and steady, which means that he is able to grasp the full amount of chakra control he is intended to learn. Also, once he masters this exercise, he has mastered it for life. It will simply be a matter of substituting the different numbers, which won't be difficult if that equation is anything to judge his mind by."

_Wow_, was all Sakura could think. In all her life, she had never thought Naruto was as brainy as this. It seemed this mission was revealing a lot of things to her. She turned her attention back to the two rivals in the clearing below her.

XXX

Naruto looked at his calculations. This time, he had been able to double the distance, but this wasn't good enough. Sasuke was a step ahead of him, literally. Naruto looked at Sasuke and frowned. This was getting bothersome. He needed to get to the top first, and fast. He looked at the problem long and hard, shutting out all distractions. His mind became a blank slate, on which he put the problem smack in the middle, just as he had been taught by Taita. Finally, he saw it. The solution. He smiled and rewrote the problem. Yes, this time he was sure he had got it right on. With a small smile, eh started his trek up the tree, his steps confident. Sasuke noticed, saw the confidence in the dropout's face and knew that he was going to get beaten. When Naruto was halfway up the tree, his mind flashed back to the point when Naruto had unashamedly asked for Sakura's advice. _Concentrate on your chakra until you __**feel**__ its right_. Well, no time like the present to start. He did it, and instantly knew the feeling Sakura had been talking about. With confident strides, he ran up the tree, gaining on Naruto. Kakashi and Sakura watched with keen gazes and both genin neared the top. To Sakura's utter disappointment, both boys reached the top first, Sasuke slightly out of breath. Naruto looked at Sasuke with laughter in his eyes.

"Well, well," he said. "Look who managed to catch up. About time too." Sasuke scowled, but his eyes were also filled with humour.

"Do you really think I'd let a dropout like you get the better of me?"

XXX

It was during the last day of the bridge's completion that Tazuna was attacked. He was attacked by two shinobi from Kirigakure. The moment they showed up, a thin fog came in from the lake. One of them had a zanbato, much like Zabuza's, and the other hand two giant broadswords. Even with the fog, it was easy to see that they were related. They had that same blood crazed look in their eyes, that lust for death.

"So these are the Konoha ninja who defeated Zabuza-senpai?" said the one with the zanbato.

"Yes," said the other one in a soft voice. "Kakashi the Copy Ninja and his little team of genin. They must be something, to have defeated Zabuza-senpai. Don't you agree, Dogetsu? Their blood will taste extraordinary," the nin said, licking the sword in his right hand.

"You should not get so worked up, Kagetsu," Dogetsu said. "You should be more _down to earth_, like me!" Both ninja laughed at the pun, their voices slithering like serpents in the heavy air. They both smiled bloody murder. They were going to enjoy this fight.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who was all tensed for battle. "Wait a while," Naruto commanded. Sasuke scowled at him. Naruto stalled any objections with a wave of his hand.

"Kakashi will take Kagetsu, while Sakura and I fight Dogetsu. And if you are wondering why, it's simple. First of all, your arsenal consists of fire jutsu, and they cannot compete with the fire jutsu of a member of the Seven Swordsmen, as his name suggests that he is proficient in them. Secondly, Dogetsu might be proficient in earth jutsu, which is bad for you because his attacks naturally block yours. Thirdly, both of them have to be proficient in water jutsu, which is bad for your fire jutsu. Lastly, they look deadly, which means you will need them tired and slow for your fire jutsu to hit them full on and cause heavy damage. You can't do that now while they are still fresh. We need you to protect Tazuna-san while we deal with these two. If they do manage to get past us, you are the best line of defense we have other than Kakashi himself, who we can't spare. So what do you say?" both Kakashi and Sakura looked at Sasuke with interest, waiting for his reply to such a request, especially Naruto. Kakashi resolved not to interfere since such scenes made or broke a team. He did like Naruto's use of logic, however. The boy was turning out better than he had thought.

"Fine," Sasuke said with a smile. "Just don't mess this up, dropout, or our first mission will go down in flames."

"Hey," Naruto pointed out, "you're the one guarding the principle. If anything, you should keep a sharp eye." Sasuke scowled but did not reply.

"Are you sure you can take on the Hozuki Brothers, boy?" asked Kagetsu, his smile widening.

"The famous Hozuki Brothers. Looks to me like you are one short," Kakashi said, stepping toward the ninja and cracking his knuckles. "Aren't there supposed to be three brothers? Where's the other one?" Both brothers suddenly tensed, their smiles turning into bared teeth, which were just as sharp as Zabuza's.

"We'll make Konoha pay for the insult your shinobi committed!" Kagetsu shouted, running toward Kakashi, his twin broadswords at the ready.

XXX

Naruto scowled in irritation. Ever since they had begun training with Kakashi-sensei, he had taken to leaving his Scroll at the house. Now it proved to be his undoing. There were weapons in there that could completely turn this battle around. No matter, he still had a few smaller weapons he could summon using _**Tobidugo**_, Projectile Weapons. He unrolled a scroll from his pouch and summoned a jian broadsword. He did so just in time to block the massive swing by Dogetsu. The force behind the zanbato drove him to his knees. Dogetsu smiled, but the smile was soon washed off by Sakura, whose timely kick sent him sprawling. Naruto got up and looked at Kakashi, whose fight was a lot worse. The hot headed Kagetsu was proving to be smart, even through his blood-lust. Already Kakashi had some superficial wounds, while Kagetsu had none.

"Never take your eyes off your opponent," shouted Dogetsu from behind Sakura and Naruto. Sakura looked at the man she had kicked; only to see that it was a water clone. Dogetsu sent the pink haired kunoichi and the blond ninja flying with a water jutsu that pummeled them into a tree fifty feet away. He smiled a he saw the pink haired kunoichi groan with pain and the blond struggle to his feet. He looked into Naruto's face and saw that the kid was smiling. After a second, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. Instinct saved him from a fatal blow as he jumped left and brought his zanbato in front of his face, blocking Naruto's heavy cut. They both landed in the same tree, opposite each other.

"You are a very impressive swordsman, for a boy. Are you sure you want to fight me?" asked Dogetsu. "You are no match for me. I trained with the Seven Swordsmen." Naruto smiled.

"That's one thing you Mist ninja need to learn." Dogetsu frowned.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"To always rely on your team," Naruto said, and Dogetsu turned just in time to see the giant fireball coming straight toward him. He had no time to react and was blown straight off the tree branch. Sasuke landed where Dogetsu had been standing a moment before. He smirked.

"I thought you said to wait until you called. What's with the shadow clone you sent to guard Tazuna?"

Naruto shrugged. "I thought you might be bored." His face suddenly turned serious. "Dogetsu is a dangerous ninja. Sakura and I cannot defeat him alone. We need your Sharingan to help us. With it, we have a chance. He is simply too good. The only reason I'm not hurt now is because I planned for Kagetsu and Dogetsu to think you're out of the game, giving you a chance to kill them. Already Kakashi has got the upper hand in his fight, but ours is a different problem. Dogetsu is even more of a pain than Haku." Sasuke nodded. He turned toward the rising Dogetsu, who was wiping the blood off his lips. Sakura landed next to him, her legs trembling slightly from the pain of the water jutsu she had been hit with.

"We'll support you, Naruto," she said, "seeing as you are the only one of us who has a sword to fight with." Naruto nodded, though he was peeved by her implied meaning. She meant that Sasuke was undoubtedly the better swordsmen, and that she was only supporting Naruto because he was the logical. To add injury to insult, she thought he was too stupid to figure it out. He was used to being treated like dirt by now, so he didn't comment. This wasn't the time. With a heave of his Jian, he launched himself at Dogetsu.

XXX

_**Two weeks later…**_

Naruto waved at Inari, smiling his rare goofy smile. Even with his abnormal healing abilities, he still had not completely healed from the fight with the Hozuki Brother, which is why he twinged slightly as he aggravated the blow Dogetsu had landed to his ribs. Naruto still couldn't believe that Inari had got the courage to rouse the villagers and face down Gatou and his bandits. If it hadn't been for the little squirt, Team 7 would have been slaughtered like lambs, what with them being tired from the battle. Kagetsu and Dogetsu had not gone down without a fight. They had lived up to their reputation as students in the art of murder. At the moment Naruto was the only one without some kind of medical aid. Kakashi had crutches, Sakura's abdomen was heavily bandaged, and Sasuke's arms were next to useless.

"Come visit!" yelled Inari.

"You bet I will," Naruto yelled back. "Your mom makes the best Ramen I have ever tasted! … Oh, and I'll come to see you, of course." Both boys laughed, and with one final wave, Naruto ran to catch up with his team. For a second, a frown disfigured his happy face. The two battles had shown him just how big a gap he had to cover before he caught up with Sasuke and other genin considered geniuses. Thanks to his training post, his taijutsu had significantly improved, and so had his weapons skills. In only a month he had managed to catch up to Sasuke, but that would not last long if he slacked off now like he used to do. He needed to maintain a permanent lead, which meant he was in for a lot of work. He smiled again, the beauty of the Wave Country washing over him. The Chunin exams were seven months away. He planned on being stronger when that time came. He would show the village that he wasn't a monster. He would show them just what a strong ninja he was. He would be acknowledged as the next Hokage.

XXX

**Right, we are going to part ways with Naruto for a chapter or so. This is a Naruto **_**and**_** Hinata fan fiction, so I need to introduce her. **

**Next on the list is the matter of Team 7's fight with Zabuza. I only made it short so I could make way for this. I am not very good with describing fights because people said I put too much description in my other fics, the ones I have written of shurtugal fanfiction and others not on the net. I still have to gain that art.**

**Also, the Hozuki Brothers are mentioned in the manga of Naruto Shippuden, and so anyone who can tell me WHEN, by WHO and most of all can explain the PUN that makes them both laugh will get a prize. You also need to explain Naruto's logic, but because I am not Japanese and therefore not fluent in the tongue (I apologize no for murdering the language and culture I admire) I may have skewered the language a little. Here is a clue – Kakashi says that they are one short, meaning there is another brother, meaning your answer lies with him.**


	8. Volume 1: The Hyuga Failure

Hinata struggled to get up, but the damage her body had taken was too much. The fight has left her completely, not that it had been there to start with. Fighting your own father doesn't tend to get one in an enthusiastic mood. Hiashi looked down at his daughter with disappointment and anger in his face.

"I had thought letting Kurenai-san take you under her wing would help you get stronger, but you have not changed. You are still weak, still unsure, and still unfit to be called my daughter and heir to the Hyuga clan." With those words, he turned his back on his daughter and walked out of the dojo. His second daughter, Hanabi, spared one look for her unfortunate sister before she followed her father. Hinata sighed and simply rested there until she gained enough energy to get out of the Main Compound. Today had been her chance to move back into the Main Compound, but she has failed her father's test. She would be living in one of the Branch Family's Compound forever, if she never lived up to her father's expectations.

XXX

"Hinata, we need to talk," Kurenai said firmly but sadly. Hinata immediately blushed and looked away.

"Hinata, look at me when I'm talking to you!" shouted Kurenai. Hinata cowered beneath her sensei's harsh voice and immediately moved to Kurenai's side but did not look at the jonin. Kurenai sighed. She had witnessed Hinata's test at her father's hand by using one of her genjutsu. She knee the Byakugan would immediately see through it, but she had to put a semblance of stealth into her spying, if only to retain the honour in the word Shinobi.

"Hinata," Kurenai said softly, getting down on one knee, "you have been failing every mission since you were made genin. I know you train hard, but you simply aren't good enough. I don't agree with your father, you aren't a disappointment, but maybe you aren't just ready for the shinobi world. Maybe … maybe you need to redo your time at the academy, if only for a year or so," Kurenai suggested softly. Hinata's world came crushing down like a ton of bricks.

"But … but, I can't go back to the academy," Hinata stuttered. "I know that I may not be the best, but I'm working hard!" Hinata immediately looked down, afraid of what would happen for shouting at her sensei.

"Well," Kurenai said after a second, "hard work may not be enough." With that, the jonin stood up and walked away. It took all of Hinata's self-control not to cry.

XXX

Hinata waited for her turn patiently, her heart heavy. Her father had well and truly disowned her, and on top of that, word had leaked out to all Hyuga family members. The more cruel members did not disguise their glee, and some even acted on it, taunting her whenever they felt like it. They knew Hinata was too soft to do activate their cage seal, and what's more, they knew the Hyuga Head, Hinata's father, was too disappointed with his daughter to do anything to help her. His focus was now on his second daughter, Hanabi, and his one remaining hope for a competent heir.

"Hinata-sama!" called the Branch Family Head she was living with. With an unconscious twitch, she slowly stood up, dreading this training session. Because of her occupied mind, she was even more incompetent than usual. Her stance was weak, her focus wavering, her blows too soft and indirect, her speed lacking and most of all, she was down right scared. This branch family head was particularly biased toward the head family, and so took this opportunity to let his opinion be known. By the time the session was over, she was bleeding, battered, bruised and barely conscious, but she nevertheless managed to make it to her room.

She was sprawled on her bed for what seemed like hours, her mind's eye viewing the events of her entire life. Disappointment after disappointment, no happiness, all struggle and most of all, no recognition, no acknowledgement. Tears were coming out of her eyes by the time she replayed her fight with Hiashi. This was the life she was doomed to.

_**Clang!**_

She jumped up at the sound of shuriken bouncing off each other. She looked out of her small window and saw her cousin, Neji, spring with the branch family head she had been sparring with earlier that day. The one that had taken fiendish pleasure in making her suffer. But whereas his fight with her had been amateurish at best, this fight was at least chunin level. Her Byakugan could see the perfect chakra control of both participants. Their Jyuken was perfect, a blend of power and grace. How she wished she was the one with such control over her own movements, her own life. She watched for twenty whole minutes while the two sparred, and not once did their pace falter. Neji was going all out, training to his limit. Hinata got the feeling that by the time he reached chunin, he would be a force to be reckoned with. The only person who could probably beat him would be her own father and other members of the head family. A tear escaped her eye involuntarily. This was what her father desired of her; an heir and ninja worthy of his name. It was too bad that she would never achieve that goal.

XXX

Inari slumped onto the hard ground. It had only been a few weeks, but already he could feel the change in his body. His training was paying off already. He had grown taller, and he had lost most of his baby fat. He had grown faster, and he was learning to use many weapons, among them kunai, shuriken, Bo, henbo and ninja swordsmanship. His body was in spasm because of the lack of oxygen, but he ignored the pain. He had gotten used to the intensive training by now, even if it had only been six weeks. His sensei drove him to the brink of his limits, and beyond, at times.

"That's enough for today," his sensei said. "Go home and rest. Tsunami-san will be starting dinner soon. It's your turn to help her."

Inari nodded and got up slowly. "Don't be late," he said. "You know how pissed off mom gets when her dinner is ruined." Inari's sensei smiled and nodded. Tsunami-san had a temper that could have scared most ninja.

After Inari left, the sensei unrolled the piece of paper that had been left for her. She read the words on it over and over, wondering whether she had chosen the right course. She had woken up in Tsunami-san's house, weak and delirious. It had taken over a week before she was back to good health, which was only due to her extensive medical knowledge and impressive regenerative powers. An image flashed in her mind; a tall, blond haired boy, with ice blue eyes, whisker marks on his cheeks, and long, sharp nails that could have been called claws.

_Naruto-kun_, the sensei thought. _Why? Why did you spare my life?_ Unbidden came flashbacks of the boy's words. _"Everyone deserves someone to love and be loved. I had no chance of that and never will, but you do. You may have been called a demon in your homeland, but here you can start afresh. You don't need to work for evil to feel loved._" Back then, the sensei had shunned the Konoha ninja, but after he had woken from a sleep, a sleep he had gone into thinking he wouldn't wake from, he had thought again. He should move on soon before his existence was discovered, but for now, he had found people who loved him, and he loved them. He would protect them, as they sheltered him. He looked again at the piece of paper.

"_**Everyone deserves a second chance"**_ it said, in neat, smooth handwriting. The note was written in blood.

_Thank you for your vote of confidence, Naruto-kun_, Haku thought.

XXX

Hinata snuck into the Main Compound at midnight. She didn't know why, maybe to show that she had gained some skills after all. Maybe as a challenge to herself. Whatever the reason, she simply wanted to prove to herself that she wasn't completely useless. She crouched in a tree, watching the patrols. She knew them off by heart, seeing as she had been planning this for quite a while. Also, because she was a Head family member, she was privileged to information about all the other Hyuga members. She knew who was on patrol on which nights, and their capabilities. She was no match for any of them, that much was true, but she could use their own weaknesses against them. For instance, all patrol consisted of Branch family members, which meant that they were as inattentive in their duties as possible without seeming so. One of these little inattentive details was that their Byakugan was not activated, which meant that Hinata's presence was of at this moment undetected.

Just as she was about to jump onto the roof opposite her, she tripped on a small branch and fell twenty feet onto the hard ground. She winced, but did not utter a sound. Already the sharp eyes of the patrols would have heard her. She needed to get out of the compound, and fast. She stood and ran a familiar route, a route she has used in her childhood. She came up to the western entrance, but it was locked, much to her surprise. In all her time, she had never seen any of the smaller gates locked. One reason was that they led into the forest, which would mean any infiltrators would have to get past the Konoha ninja who guarded against any sort of infiltration by means of the forest. But maybe because of the increased foreign ninja activity in the village, her father was not taking any chances. Damn it! She should have seen this coming. That's what her father wanted, for her to become a worthy heir, and she could not be a worthy heir by being so stupid.

She heard running footsteps, and immediately she gave up. She would never amount to anything. This had been a bad idea from the start. She knew she wasn't brave enough, so why had she fought her own nature? Just as she heard two people turn the corner onto the path, she caught a blur of movement, and a moment later, she felt strong arms engulf her shoulders. The right one formed half a ram seal, and a moment later she felt a layer of chakra engulf both her and the mystery person. The two patrolmen rounded the corner and stopped, looking at an empty path and a firmly shut gate. For a full minute they gazed at the gate in the Hyuga taijutsu stance, their Byakugan activated, before their postures slowly relaxed. One of them murmured that it must have been a stray cat that had been jumping down from a tree. They made their way back to their rounds. Hinata was too frightened to fight the mystery person who had saved her from a fate worse than death itself; facing her father.

The person let her go and slumped down to the ground. He – for she could tell by the tone of his voice that it was a male – was panting hard and, after a moment, started chuckling softly to himself. She slowly turned round, and found herself looking at none other than Naruto Uzumaki. She was a little shocked by his surprise appearance. What was he doing on Hyuga land? At this time of night? Unescorted, as all visitors were, apart from the Hokage himself. He looked at her, and instantly she knew that he knew what thoughts were flying through her own mind. To her surprise, he smiled.

"That's what I always liked about you, Hinata," he said, softly, which made her blush and look away. "The fact that you aren't stupid, quite smart, in fact, but you don't let the hard logic of life colour your judgement. Inside, you are a nice person. That's an enviable thing, Hinata."

It was quite a while before Hinata got the courage to speak up. "What … what are you doing here, Naruto-kun?" His smiled never left his face, which made it all the harder to ask such a question. How could she, when he had saved her from being discovered?

"Same thing you're doing, probably. Testing my stealth abilities by testing them against such a powerful clan with a renowned doujutsu," he replied simply. To her surprise, Hinata found that it was the same reason why she had come here. She wanted to prove herself, even though no one would know. Too bad she had failed.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. He held out his hand to Hinata, still smiling. Hinata looked at the hand, and then at Naruto. Could she trust him? She had never had someone to truly confide in before. Slowly, she took his hand.

XXX

Neji watched the scene with a smirk. So it appeared that his cousin had finally found a friend. How precious. And the friend was not the loser he had expected. Sure the loser's academy results had been one of the best, but that could have just been because of the fact that the test was easy. But he had seen Naruto in action when the Hokage had added his own test by means of the genjutsu that even his Byakugan couldn't detect. He watched with some interest as Naruto helped Hinata to her feet, and then performed a perfect Body Transfer jutsu that did not make any noise and did not create a puff of smoke. His eyes narrowed slightly. That was an ANBU specialty. How had the loser learned such a jutsu? Even Neji had to make do with the Body Transfer jutsu that achieved the same results but was not as powerful as a Body Flicker. After a second, he smiled and made his way back to his bedroom, in the Branch Family Compound he was staying in. Unlike his cousin, he easily managed to avoid all patrols. The Chunin exams were coming up soon. He would enjoy destroying Hinata-sama and Naruto.

XXX

Hiashi watched the entire seen with his usual impassiveness. Interesting, the young Uzumaki Naruto was. Even more interesting was his nephew, Neji. His brother had often boasted that Neji was most gifted of all the Hyugas, and now it seemed those claims just might be true. He could see a vast potential in the Byakugan of the young Hyuga, and a lot of anger as well. If the young Hyuga continued of his path, Hiashi might be forced to use _that_ to control the threat. With that thought in mind, Hiashi made his way back to his quarters, making a mental note to punish all patrols for slacking.

XXX

Naruto let go of Hinata's hand and walked to the spire of the building he had transported them to. He hung onto the spire and let the wind ruffle his hair and face. After a second, he came down and sat next to Hinata.

"It's a frustrating prospect, isn't it? Being weak, that is." Hinata looked away, but nodded. She immediately looked back to Naruto, fighting the itch to activate her Byakugan and see past any façade her might be trying to pull. But she didn't, and that's what drove the young Uzumaki to smile at her. He rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, blushing slightly.

"I must admit, I didn't come to the Compound just to test my skills."

"Why did you come then?" Hinata murmured softly.

Naruto's face instantly hardened. "I overheard Kurenai-san talking to Asuma-san," was all he said, and she knew that he knew everything about her current situation. "It sickens me when I see such things," Naruto continued. "To have family, those who devote their lives to you, and treat them that way. It disgusts me. I know I'm talking about your father, but I just can't keep about such matters."

"It's alright," Hinata murmured at last, and to her surprise, she found her voice quivering. She never showed emotion in front of others, especially practical strangers like this boy she had always crushed on. In a moment, she felt his left arm embrace her shoulders. She blushed furiously and looked away. "I always tried my best, but I guess my father was right. I cannot change my nature. I'm not shinobi material."

"Don't speak like that!" Naruto said vehemently. "I thought like that before, and it never got me anywhere. You need to buck up and train hard! That's the only way you will prove all those people who try to bring you down wrong. You don't have to change your personality to become a good ninja. All you have to do is have guts, guts to never give up and go back on your word!"

"It's too late for me anyway," Hinata said, unconsciously looking into Naruto's blue eyes. "I failed. I'm going back to the academy." Naruto smiled even wider.

"Like I said, I overheard Kurenai, and managed to make a deal with her. It's cost me all the money I made on my mission just to buy you this, but you deserve it. Everyone deserves a chance."

"What have you done," Hinata asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"I bought you time," Naruto said simply.

"… Time?" she asked.

"Yes, time. I have already told Kakashi-sensei I'm not going on any mission until the Chunin Exams finish. I'm going to use this time to train, and train hard. The exams this year are going to be hard, and I need to be on my best form. I told Kurenai-san that I would get you to pass the Chunin Exams and become a chunin. If you did, I would get my money back, with interest!"

Hinata frowned slightly. _He did this for money…?_

Naruto stood up and looked down at her with big blue eyes. "I had planned on training hard until the exams in six month's time, but I guess two heads are better than one. You can help me train, especially on taijutsu and how to fight someone with doujutsu like you," he said, thinking of Sasuke, "and in turn, I can help you train your own taijutsu and ninjutsu. After all, we need to get stronger if we are going to fight people with more experience than us. Sharing knowledge seems a good ay to do it. And Konoha is big on camaraderie, right?" He chuckled a little, looking into her lavender eyes with earnest. She did not need to use her Byakugan to know he meant what he said. Slowly she stood up as well and looked into his eyes. For the first time in what felt like ages, she smiled. Naruto punched the air.

"I'll have my money back in no time!" he said, and they both laughed.

XXX

Kurenai looked at the duo with interest. She had made the right decision. Even if Hinata did not make it to chunin, the boy, Naruto, would instill some confidence in the young woman, and hopefully Hinata would become a better shinobi because of it. It was certainly a welcome change to see the girl smiling and laughing instead of crying and punishing herself physically for being weak. With a final look, she flickered to her apartment. Tonight she would be treating some friends to an extensive night out of fun and entertainment. After all, she could afford it.


	9. Volume 1: The Chunin Exams Begin

The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The flowers were in bloom. There was a slight breeze, warm and dry. Bright green leaves floated in it. Naruto grabbed one and looked at it, remembering. Six months seemed to have gone, just like that. Every waking moment had been spent training, not a second wasted. And now he would get to see if it would pay off. Today was the day. The Chunin Exams were beginning today. Without looking away from the leaf in his right hand, he said, "What is it, Konohamaru?" He heard a groan of disappointment behind him and smiled. It had been quite an experience, meeting the Sandaime's grandson. It had been quite an inconvenience, meeting the "Honorable Grandson's" private tutor, Ebisu. That week had opened up Naruto's eyes to the population of Konoha. Because of the Village's prejudices, Naruto kept out of sight as much as possible. With the "Honorable Grandson" at his side, however, the Villagers had learned to turn a blind eye to him. Now he got to eat at Ichiraku Ramen any time of day he wanted, instead of having to go at times when he knew no one would see him. It was quite liberating.

"How did you know it was me? How did you even know I was here?" Konohamaru demanded. His superior attitude had dropped, but he was still as loud and boisterous as ever. It reminded Naruto of a certain blond haired ninja he once knew.

"Training, Honorable Grandson, and hard work, got me this far," Naruto said in a good copy of Ebisu's voice and tone. The kid couldn't help but grin at such a perfect imitation of his private tutor. "Seriously, though," Naruto went on, "these last six months have changed me. I have met you, I have been reintroduced to the Village, I have gotten a lot stronger, and finally, I have made and helped a friend. It's been quite hectic."

Konohamaru came and stood next to Naruto, looking out over the calm waters of the river. The bridge they were standing on was the exact spot Team Kakashi met. In the time Naruto had managed to spare from his training, which basically meant when he was too exhausted to even move, Naruto had shared his life with the young student. They had found they had many things in common, among which was their appreciation for good ramen, Ichiraku Ramen, to be precise. Konohamaru was probably the only person who knew Naruto inside out, besides Hinata, but she didn't really count. After all, there were things only guys could talk about. But it hadn't been a completely one sided relationship. Konohamaru, in his own sneaky way, had managed to appropriate dome of the Sandaime's jutsu scrolls. Suffice to say, Naruto now had a jutsu or two up his sleeve to even surprise people who knew him, like Sasuke and Sakura.

"The Chunin Exams," Konohamaru said. "They start today. Grandfather has been very busy lately. It looks like there are a lot of … complications." Konohamaru paused, and Naruto did not interrupt. After a moment, the young student continued. "There have been some minor skirmishes between Konoha and Suna ninja, and so Grandfather has had to work to smooth things over, or else the Exams will turn into an excuse for war. Also, it seems some of the Lesser Villages will be taking part, and they are dangerous, according to Grandfather, because of their hatred of the Main Villages. One of the Villages taking part will be Otogakure, so …"

"He's afraid that his old student might just be up to something bad," finished Naruto, "by using the Lesser Villages' own hatred against us. He thinks a war might break out, doesn't he?"

Konohamaru nodded. "The changes have been subtle at the academy. One thing is that we now have to learn evacuation routes. What are you going to do?" Naruto knew what the kid meant; if the exams were a potential death trap, would it be wise to take them. After all, if war did break out, being a chunin wouldn't exactly help him survive. It was nothing more than a title, a title of recognition, which is exactly what Naruto wanted. Meeting Konohamaru had stoked the fire of passion within Naruto, the fire that kept Naruto's dream of being Hokage burning, the fire that kept Naruto from giving up, and the fire that had been slowly dying. With his renewed faith and a flame burning bright and strong, Naruto was not going to back down from a challenge.

"Me? I'm going to continue with the exam and make sure I'm right in the middle of the action, where I'm of maximum use."

Konohamaru nodded. He finally turned to face Naruto. He stretched out his right arm, his hand clenched into a fist. "Stay safe," he said. Naruto finally turned and looked at Konohamaru, smiling. He tapped the fist with his own, and then ruffled the kid's hair slightly.

"Who would have thought that under such an annoying, not to mention loud and hyper, attitude like that, you were really a smart ninja, and an okay person? Not me, that's for sure. We'll go and celebrate my promotion to chunin next time we meet."

Konohamaru took Naruto's hand off his head with an annoyed grunt. He always hated it when Naruto ruffled his hair. But then he looked at the genin and smiled. "I'd love that," he said, and walked off, a smile plastered on his face.

XXX

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura laid eyes on each other for the first time in six months. For a moment, all was silence, and then it was as if they had only been separated for a day. Sakura immediately slumped down next to Sasuke, who was sat down on a step.

"What a six months it has been," she sighed, he shoulders drooping. "I never thought I would get through it."

"What happened?" Naruto asked casually, although he already knew. It had been part of his deal with Kurenai-san, after all.

"Well, after Hinata was suspended by Kurenai-sensei, she got the idea to come and train me. I temporarily joined Team 8, but since Kiba and Shino have their own clan training methods, I spent most of my time alone with Kurenai-sensei." She stopped to rub her forearms, which Naruto noticed had lost any baby fat and were now the hard, corded arms of a kunoichi. He had made the right decision in paying all his money. Now Team 7 was definitely much stronger. "She knows some mean taijutsu, Kurenai-sensei, and some wicked genjutsu. I was only able to master a handful of her genjutsu and ninjutsu, but I definitely made up for it in taijutsu." Sakura scowled. "She made sure of that, the slave driver. The way she trained me, it was as if someone forced her at knife point!" At this comment, Sasuke's eyes briefly flickered to Naruto's, and both boys nearly smiled. Poor Sakura didn't know just how right she way. One condition had been that if Sakura did not show significant improvement, then Naruto would get _all_ his money back, with interest. No one had that kind of money to give out. "But I'm now definitely stronger, so watch out world! Team 8 did get to go to some cool missions though. We even got to guard the heiress to one of the Fire Country's wandering ninja clans! She was so pretty, kind, and very skilled too. Honestly, I don't know why we were hired. She had such a handsome and overprotective brother as well." Sakura giggled a little, and Naruto had to suppress a sigh. It seemed not all of Sakura's little habits had been stomped out. "How was your time with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked with a small smile. Yep, definitely not.

"We trained," Sasuke said. Naruto blinked. Seven months, and that's all he could say. Smiling inwardly, he realized that's pretty much all he had done as well. Sakura looked a little downhearted by this lack of response, but did not give up.

"Did you do any interesting mission?" she asked. However, before Sasuke could reply, there was a loud poof of smoke, and Kakashi appeared in his customary crouching position.

"Yo," he said with his usual eye-smile. How he could do that, Naruto always wondered. But then again, when no one could see your face, you had to find a way to show _some_ kind of facial expression.

"How have you been, Sakura, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Fine," Naruto said, before Sakura could launch into another rendition of her six months. Kakashi smiled inwardly. They hadn't changed. Sakura scowled at him, which he ignored.

"Alright then, today is the day," Kakashi said. Suddenly, all three genin tensed. "The day you three have been training for. Now, I know Sasuke and Sakura have gone on missions, which adds to what they bring to the team. They bring experience with them. I don't know how you have been doing, Naruto …"

"I have gone on a mission or two," Naruto said nonchalantly.

_He must have a lot of confidence in his abilities if he's that laid back_, thought Kakashi. But Kakashi could tell Naruto was stronger. Already the boy knew how to hide his chakra level very well, which required a lot of concentration and skill. _I cannot wait to see how you have changed, Naruto_, Kakashi said to himself.

"Alright then," Kakashi said, taking out three slips from his vest. "Sign these and show up at the academy in an hour, and you can commence your journey." He almost added "your journey of youthful experience", but he checked himself before he went that far. _Gai_, he thought, _what have you done to me? I should have hanged out with Kurenai and Asuma more_.

XXX

As Team 7 made their way to the Academy, Naruto made sure they caught up. The Chunin Exams could only be taken in a three man team, which meant that working together played a big part in whatever the examiners had lined up. So to work sufficiently well together, they needed to be aware of each other's abilities. Suffice to say, by the time they had reached the Academy gates, each member of Team 7 had something to think about. From what Naruto could gather, Sakura now had almost every Konoha genin level genjutsu pegged, plus a surprising number of chunin genjutsu. This would be very helpful, seeing as genjutsu did not require much chakra in general, instead relying on the caster's mental skills and chakra control. This would be perfect, seeing as Sakura had not fully developed her physical strength, and therefore lacked the full amount of chakra she could have had she stuck to her training. But there was no use crying over wasted chakra, so Naruto kept his thoughts to himself.

Sasuke was more of a surprise. In the six months he had been training with Kakashi, he had almost mastered his Sharingan. It did not matter that his Sharingan had not fully matured. He now knew how to use the eyes to their full potential, using what powers only his two tomoe granted him. Also, his list of ninjutsu had increased dramatically, seeing as the Sharingan allowed him to copy most jutsu. Naruto's face darkened for a second when he learned this, while Sakura simply beamed. When was fate going to smile on him? The next instant he banished the thought. He would just have to get stronger without a Kekkei Genkai to help him. Besides, where was the fun in being able to copy any jutsu? Learning was much more fun. Sasuke had also increased his chakra control, having mastered the water walking exercise. Naruto smiled for a fraction here. While Sasuke and Sakura had only done the basic water walking exercise, he had done the far more advanced one, courtesy of Iruka-sensei.

"Alright then," Naruto sighed as they came to the doors that led into the main building of the Academy, where they were expected to show up, and where the first exam would take place. He looked back at the team. "We are going to do this as a Team, got it?" he said, looking at Sasuke, who scowled, "and we are going to behave like proper shinobi, right?" he added, looking at Sakura, who also scowled. Just as the two were about to barge past him, Naruto held out both his hands to stop them.

"There's one more thing," he said, in a tone of voice that brooked no argument. He quickly filled them in on what Konohamaru had told him. When he was finished, he turned his back on the two and opened the doors, looking away from their slightly shocked expressions. "So we potentially have ninja here whose mission is not to pass the Exams, but to take out all Konoha ninja so as to weaken Konoha itself. Don't let our Team be the one that gets dispatched. There might be genin in there who are chunin or even jonin level, in disguise or have just been held back specifically for this objective. We must work as a team!" this time, Sasuke and Sakura did not react adversely to Naruto's statement, but merely nodded. "And we have got to spread the word to any other genin team from Konoha. Don't tell them everything, just enough to make them wary of foul play." With that, Naruto led Team 7 into the Academy and the Chunin Exams.

XXX

Kabuto watched as _he_ came in, Sasuke Uchiha. He smiled. Finally, Orochimaru-sama's goal was within reach, and it lay within that boy. Kabuto frowned as he saw that Sasuke-kun looked a bit bruised, like he'd been in a fight, but he ignored that. He saw a pink haired kunoichi enter behind Sasuke-kun, a teammate perhaps, and then got the shock of his life when he saw the blond haired ninja that came in after Sasuke and pinky. The Nine Tails brat was on the same team as Sasuke-kun! Well, well, this would make for an interesting Chunin Exam. He quickly and discretely got out his deck of cards and checked Sasuke-kun's Team information. He was in a team with Sakura Haruno, the pink haired kunoichi, and Naruto Uzumaki. The number of missions weren't very encouraging, with the team having only completed one mission together. Sasuke-kun had however completed a total of twenty missions, Sakura-chan fifteen, and Naruto-kun twenty. However, the lack of enough missions was more than made up for by the quality of missions. Sakura-chan had completed five D-rank missions, nine C-rank missions and one B rank mission. He frowned. Again, Sasuke-kun and the Nine Tails brat were on a draw. Both had completed two D-rank missions, eleven C-rank missions and seven B-rank missions. It was very interesting, that both boys had faced many elite chunin and a few jonin in battle and lived, without any lasting harm. On top of that, all three had quite the list of skills. Sakura-chan had elite chunin level chakra control and an extensive list of genjutsu. Her taijutsu was good, but nothing impressive. Again, he was surprised to find the Nine Tails brat on par with Sasuke. While Sasuke had a more extensive list of known ninjutsu mastered, Naruto-kun was a highly skilled taijutsu user. As Kabuto knew, taijutsu was one of the Sharingan's few weaknesses. Having a unique taijutsu (that Kabuto hadn't been able to find any specific information about, other than that it was called **The Dragon's Hidden Claws**), Naruto could wreak a lot of damage. Interesting. It took him a few moments to finally admit it, but he now knew the two genin shared the same relationship as Orochimaru-sama and Jiraiya once did. They were close friends and bitter rivals. He saw them go to their fellow Leaf genin teams. He would let them socialize before he approached Sasuke-kun's team. With a smile of anticipation for the coming challenges, he put down the card he had been viewing all this information on. The jutsu that helped Kabuto contain his vast array of information in his card deck had been quite the find. It had been in one of Orochimaru-sama's scrolls, the one from when the Sannin had been a Konoha ninja. Such a long time ago that way, and still Orochimaru-sama looked like he was in his late twenties. And Sasuke Uchiha would help to keep it that way.

XXX

"Alright, listen up" Ibiki Morino said. "This written exam will only last for half an hour, in which you are expected to answer nine questions. After that, there is a tenth and final question I will ask you verbally. You have to answer every question on the Test Paper or you will be disqualified. If one you fails, the entire team fails. If I or one of the helping proctors catches you cheating, you will be disqualified. Is that understood?"

Everyone nodded. He smiled, the scar on his face stretching, making him look even more intimidating. "One last thing before you begin: to pass the written exam, you have to get 90, or you be disqualified." Immediately there was an uproar, which he quelled just as quick. "Silence! My word is law, so get used to it. If you don't like it, you can walk out now." No one did. "Good, you may begin."

XXX

Naruto calmly looked at his blank Paper. Only two minutes were left. He had guessed that this test was about information gathering, and he had just the technique to help, and he could have used it on Sakura, who was a genius at stuff like this, but he hadn't. He risked failing and his team being disqualified, and why? Because he had a hunch. He had seen that look in Ibiki's eyes, and it reminded him of his days with Taita-sensei. He knew that look. That look said: _what you're doing is completely useless, no matter how hard it is, but I will enjoy watching you suffer all the same_. Something was up. He knew that whatever the tenth question was, it would be the crucial one. He wasn't disappointed.

"Alright now, before I ask you the tenth question, there is something you need to know. If you answer the question wrong, your entire team fails and you will never be allowed to take the Chunin Exams ever again. However, if you quit now, you will be allowed to take part in the next Chunin Exams. The choice is yours. You have one minute to think about it." Ibiki already saw that five teams would be dropping out, based on the emotions he saw playing across some genin's faces, and smirked. His job was to weed out as many as he could, and he would. By the time the minute was up, ten teams had dropped out. That was when he saw him. The smirking kid. The Nine Tails brat.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You," the kid said evenly, the smirk still on his face. "I'm just wondering whether this is just a job for you, or if you actually get a kick out of scaring little kids."

"What did you say to me?" Ibiki shouted, a vein pulsing on his temple.

"You heard me. That look in your eyes, you'd think Golden Week had come early! Well, let me tell you something, _Ibiki-san_, I don't care if I have to be a genin my entire life. There's nothing that's going to stop me from becoming the Hokage." Despite all the insults dealt to him, Ibiki couldn't help but smile. The kid had spunk, he had to give him that. Also, the kid had one innate gift that Ibiki had rarely seen; hope. Already the three teams he had pegged down as goners were regaining their confidence. They would be staying, no doubt about it, and there was no psychological attack he could use that would change their minds.

"Well then, Uzumaki Naruto, let me be the first to congratulate you on passing the first stage of the Chunin Exams," he said.

"What?" asked a Leaf genin in shock. "What about the tenth question?"

"There was no tenth question," Ibiki replied. "A Chunin has to have the courage to stick to his mission and carry it out, no matter what danger he faces, known and unknown. By choosing to stay and face he unknown tenth question that could have ended in disaster, you have all shown that you posses the right mindset to become chunin. Congratulations." It took a moment for this to sink in, but once it did, almost everyone started cheering. They had passed!

"Now make your way to Area 44 for the next part of your exam," Ibiki said gruffly, but not unkindly. The genin didn't have to be told twice. They immediately rushed out of the room in a stampede, anxious to get on with things. As the Nine Tails kid came down the aisle, he was holding his exam paper. He handed it to Ibiki, a small smile on his lips.

"Looks like your word isn't law after all," he said, and left, his two teammates behind him.

"Cut it a little close there, you idiot," he heard the last Uchiha say as the three walked down the corridor. He looked down at the paper, and for the first time in years, Ibiki froze from shock, his entire body paralyzed.

_The paper is blank_, he thought stupidly. In all his time as a proctor, this was the first time a genin had passed with a blank paper. It was absolutely smooth, no marks on it, apart from the kid's name in flowing handwriting. After a second, he smiled, and looked toward the direction of the Forest of Death.

_You are a very interesting character, Naruto Uzumaki. I can't wait to see how you fare in the rest of the exam._

XXX

All the genin assembled at a pair of large, old, rusted gates. Beyond was a forest that gave everyone a chill. Boy, were they glad there was a huge fence between them and whatever creatures dwelt in that forest.

"Alright, everyone!" came a shout from the roof of a booth. "Welcome to the second part of the Chunin Exams." They looked up to see a young kunoichi, wearing the vest of a Tokubetsu Jonin. She had a fishnet vest over her shirt, which Naruto instantly recognised to be made of a very fine, but strong wire mesh.

"The second part will be held inside Area 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death!" She got the reaction she was hoping for. Half the genin looked ready to wet themselves. Sweet. She suddenly three a kunai with her left hand at some Grass Village genin who hadn't been paying 100 attention. As she did so, she jumped down and continued briefing the genin on how the second part would be carried out.

"Understood?" she asked loudly when she had finished. All of them nodded. "Good, now get–" She suddenly stopped and took out another kunai. She held it in her left hand, the point at an angle, facing backwards.

"You dropped your kunai," she heard one of the Grass Village genin say from behind her. He held her kunai with his tongue, waving it slightly in front of her face.

"Thank you," she replied with a smirk. She took it from him and said, "You should watch out. That lovely tongue of yours might end up impaled, or worse, as someone's dinner."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," the genin said, and then used a **Body Transfer Jutsu** to get back to his team. _Why does he seem so familiar_, Anko wondered. _His chakra seems familiar, but the kid's good at hiding it. I wonder …_

"Right then!" Anko Mitarashi shouted. "Get going you maggots!"

XXX

**I know this is all so familiar, but I need to get the right setting. Also, I'm going to add a new, but short, arc right after the Invasion of Konoha and before the Search for Tsunade arc. I know some of you will be downhearted, but I think I'm not gonna write the Sasuke Retrieval arc. I'm just gonna write the beginning, a few key points like Naruto fighting Kimimaro and Rock Lee butting in, and then I'm gonna skip to when Naruto's in hospital when he failed. We've all watched it and read the story a dozen times, so we all know what's gonna happen. Anyways, enjoy! Longest chapter yet.**


	10. Volume 1: Earth Scroll, Floating Tower

"Sakura-chan, any time now!" Naruto called out. He dodged under the kunai and slammed his palm into the Rain genin's sternum. The Rain genin simply turned into a puddle on the ground. Naruto gritted his teeth. They needed to find the real genin, and to do that, they needed to dispel the genjutsu that had been cast. He was still berating himself for allowing himself to be caught in the enemy's trap. But after three days in the forest, Naruto's usual sharp reflexes and quick eyes had dulled considerably. First of all, this was the third time fighting the Rain genin, which was starting to piss Naruto off. Couldn't the sleazy mongrels get the message? They were too weak to defeat Team 7. They were good, however, at running away, which pissed off Team 7 to no end. Secondly, Team 7 hadn't been able to acquire an Earth Scroll as of yet, and the pressure was starting to build among the Team. They were getting snappy, and soon Naruto and Sasuke would fight if things continued the way they were going. Lastly, they were simply exhausted. Because of the other Teams in the Forest, not to forget the natural predators like the giant millipede the Team had had to deal with the previous night, they had to keep a constant watch, which meant in the seventy-two hours they had been in the Forest; they had only got a total of about twelve hours of sleep, each. Naruto was no stranger to sleeping rough, and getting only a short amount of sleep over a long time, thanks to Taita-sensei. But having to deal with a moaning Sakura and a cranky Sasuke was no picnic. Thankfully, he had been able to restrain himself, but unless Team 7 made a breakthrough soon, things would only get worse.

The genjutsu suddenly lifted, and Naruto immediately caught sight of the real Rain genin. He ran in a blur of movement, Sasuke being the only one able to truly see his movements. He took out a kunai and threw it at the heads of the genin. They ducked under it, but as it passed over their heads, Naruto used his left hand to form a half-ram seal, activating the explosive note. The Rain genin barely managed to make **kawarimis** before the note exploded, and the substitutions blown to pieces. Naruto jumped into the air a second before the real Rain genin did and made two Shadow Clones. The Rain genin were caught off guard by the jutsu, not expecting a genin to be able to do a jonin level jutsu, and suffered as a result. The two flanking Rain genin were quickly dispatched by the Shadow Clones. The one on the left was hit square over the head, instantly blacking out and falling to the ground twenty metres below. The one on the right managed to block the axe kick to the head, but left himself open for a knee to the sternum, and was instantly winded, seeing stars in front of his eyes. He too, fell down to the ground. The one in the middle had been prepared, however, and effectively managed to dodge all three Narutos. He landed on a tree branch and laughed.

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked mockingly. Naruto frowned. He did not like being underestimated, especially by some third rate Rain scum. He released his Shadow Clones and attacked, for a moment forgetting his own plan, and earning him a deep scowl from Sasuke, who had used his Sharingan to see what Naruto was up to.

Naruto jumped toward the Rain nin, who jumped away and threw a kunai at Naruto. Naruto was in the air and unable to move away from the kunai. It hit him in the chest, and instantly Naruto was replaced by a log. The Rain nin cursed and landed on a higher branch.

"You should never let your opponent get behind you," he heard a voice say behind him. The Rain nin turned and saw the blond haired Konoha ninja behind him, crouching on all fours, his face calm. The Rain nin attacked instinctively, throwing several heavy punches and kicks. He smiled. He would show this Konoha genin who was boss. His smile, however, was wiped off his face when he saw the blond ninja he had been hitting disappear in a puff of smoke and replaced by a log. He did not have time to react as he heard a voice behind him say, "What did I just tell you? Never turn your back on your enemy." Oboro, the Rain nin, felt the sharp pain of a kunai lodged in his left shoulder. He hissed in pain. To get away, he jumped off the branch, using chakra in his legs to give his extra momentum. In the air, he turned round and saw the Konoha ninja looking down at him from the tree branch. He smiled, the irregularity of the blond ninja having his shuriken pouch on his _right_ thigh not registering in his mind. He turned round again so he was facing the ground, and so would be able to land safely. His eyes only managed to register the yellow flash in front of him before he felt the force of a ten pound hammer hit him square in the chest. Oboro fell to the ground, black spots in his vision. "I guess you just don't learn," he heard the blond ninja say, as if from far, far away.

_Just who is this kid?_ Oboro thought. _He's faster than any genin has a right to be!_

From deep within him, he managed to draw the last of his strength and jump away from Naruto. He landed twenty metres away, a kunai in hand. He threw it at the blond, using his own momentum to add to its speed. Deciding not to take chances, he immediately jumped away, not sticking around for any of the Konoha ninja's surprise attacks. The blond ninja stood patiently, and he heard the pink haired one shout for him to move out of the way. Oboro smiled, but again it was short lived. The blond ninja suddenly kicked out his right leg. The kunai was a mere centimeter from the leg before the blond ninja shifted his body slightly and bent his leg so that the right foot was now parallel to the kunai. He felt the blond ninja mold chakra in his right foot, effectively sticking the kunai to the foot. But the surprise wasn't complete yet. Instead of simply stopping the kunai, the ninja turned his body on the balls of his left foot. He bent his left leg, and when he came round, he stretched it again, so when he released the chakra from his right foot, the kunai flew at Oboro with maximum speed. Oboro's eyes went wide. He was still in the air and had no way of defending himself from the speeding kunai. He was barely able to shift his body so the kunai flew in front of him. Even then, he felt the sharp edge of _his own kunai_ slice past him and draw blood from his neck.

While he had been occupied with the kunai, however, Naruto had launched himself at Oboro, so when the Rain nin turned again, he saw the blond a mere five feet from him. He could not stop the sharp kick that caught him in the chin and sent him back onto the branch that he had been standing on before. This entire fight had only taken the blond thirty seconds to win. Amazing.

Naruto landed opposite him and merely pointed to the ground. The Rain genin looked down and saw that his teammates were safely dispatched and at the mercy of Sasuke and Sakura. Oboro snarled.

"It would be best if you gave us your Earth Scroll," Naruto said calmly. "If my teammates kill _your_ teammates, you're finished as you need all three members of your team present at the Tower. Secondly, if you decide to do something stupid now like run or attack, do you really believe you can defeat me and my teammates, seeing as your teammates aren't in a condition to help you? I don't think so." Naruto watched the genin, his face calm. He needed this to go the way he had originally planned. Thank the Gods he had managed to hit Oboro back onto the branch they had been originally standing on before. Just for good measure, he created two Kage Bunshins, just to get the message across. Only a few more seconds and they would have the Earth Scroll. He smiled a little as he saw the Rain genin shift slightly on his legs. Bingo!

From behind Naruto, three kunai suddenly exploded and imbedded themselves into the Shadow Clones and Naruto. All three fell to the ground. The Rain nin, Oboro, suddenly appeared next to his two subdued Rain teammates. He grabbed them, performed the **Body Transfer jutsu** and appeared the moment twenty metres from Team 7, the two unconscious genin held in each arm. The Rain genin that had been crouching opposite Naruto laughed.

_**Mizu Bunshin?**_ Thought Sasuke and Naruto at the same time. They had not expected a Rain genin to know the Water Clone jutsu, like Naruto knew the Shadow Clone. Just as well he did not know how to use it, and even better he did not have the chakra capacity to use it on the same level as Naruto. The real Oboro spoke from the tree branch.

"You are so stupid! How can you hope to match us? Don't worry, though. We'll come back and put you out of your misery soon." With that, the nin disappeared, and a moment later, his Water Clone, the one holding the unconscious nin, disappeared too.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, running to where the Shadow Clones were. Two disappeared in puffs of smoke, and only Naruto remained, a kunai lodged deeply in his back. He coughed up blood.

"Don't worry, I'll fix the wounds. Just hold on," Sakura whispered breathlessly. She took out a kit from her pouch and set it beside Naruto. Naruto's face was intent for a few seconds, causing Sakura to pause. Something was off. Finally, Naruto relaxed and looked at Sakura.

"Their gone," he said, and with that, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura yelped and jumped back, surprised. _A Shadow Clone as well?_

"There's no need for that, Sakura-chan," she heard a familiar voice say from above her. She looked up to see Naruto smirking slightly. "I would have thought you'd be happy to see me," he added when he saw her furious look. "I thought you'd be happy to see the present I brought you." With that, he too something from his pouch. And Earth Scroll. Suddenly, she smiled too. Naruto had done something right for once. She would have to ask how though. No doubt it would turn out to be a fluke like in their fight against Zabuza. "There, that's better," Naruto said. "Now on to the Tower. We shouldn't stay here any more than necessary. I have a bad feeling about this place."

_Thank you, Taita-sensei. I never knew pick pocketing would be such a useful tool. _

"Good work, idiot," Sasuke said before jumping into the Forest Canopy and leading the way. Inside, he was slightly fuming, but mostly he was a little … happy? The idiot had grown smarter and stronger. He couldn't wait for the day they fought. He knew Naruto would not prove to be the disappointing opponent every other ninja thought him to be.

XXX

Kabuto bowed before his master, Orochimaru. He silently handed over the sheets of paper that contained all the information he had been able to gather on Team Kakashi, Team Guy, Team Kurenai and Team Asuma. This included their age, abilities, relatives and any other tid-bits that Kabuto had found out. Orochimaru carefully scanned the information, storing and assessing it in his mind. after a full five minutes, he crumbled the sheets into one ball, and held the ball of paper between his index and middle fingers. Kabuto did not move. After a second, Kabuto felt Orochimaru directing a scant amount of chakra into the ball. The ball was suddenly surrounded by a flame of green chakra and began to burn. Kabuto expected to see the ball to turn to ash, but to his surprise, it kept on burning, slowly. The parts that had turned to ash didn't get blown away by the wind, but merely stayed there as if nothing was happening. Orochimaru looked down at him and smiled.

"Things are finally coming to together, Kabuto." The man's tone of voice made Kabuto shiver. He had never heard his master this excited before, and he could understand why. In three months, the Sharingan would be his to possess.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied.

"Now I only need to test young Sasuke to see his abilities for myself. The Nine-Tails kid will be a problem, but I am in need of entertainment. All this waiting has me anticipating my grand finale, my last parting gift to Konoha." Orochimaru laughed lightly, his eyes alight. After years of waiting, the Sharingan was within reach, and from there, his ambition would finally be within his grasp. With that thought, he pushed off from the tree he had been leaning against. He handed Kabuto the ball of ash, resisting a chuckle at his subordinate's amazement that the ball was still whole.

"Dispose of it," Orochimaru said. There were many security cameras in the Forest, and a handful of shinobi. If one of them came by something as suspicious as paper ash, something that was highly improbable of being found in the Forest at this time, when this event was happening, well, it would be annoying, to say the least. Kabuto looked at the ball of ash, and then at the retreating back of what looked like a Hidden Grass genin. It had started. Finally. Orochimaru's ambitions were coming to fruition.

XXX

That night, Team 7 slept soundly. That is to say, the slept more peacefully than they had ever since entering the forest. By morning, Team 7 had regained its usual energy. However, this good nature was short lived as Naruto suddenly smelled a snake, literally. What pushed this snake at the forefront of his mind was that this snake was abnormally large and did not smell like any snake found in Konoha. That had Naruto worried. He been trained by Jin-sensei, Taita-sensei and Sakumo-sensei to be aware of his surroundings, and that meant increasing his sense of touch, taste, smell, hearing, eyesight and most of all his instinctual shinobi sense honed after years of training and fighting. And right now his sixth sense was telling him to run.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan, let's get out of here, fast," Naruto whispered without moving his lips. He did not alter his body movement at all, and to his teammates' good sense, they didn't alert anyone watching that they were aware something was wrong.

"What is it, Naruto?" asked Sasuke, his Sharingan already activated, searching.

"I don't know," Naruto replied, also carrying out his own inconspicuous search by increasing his sense of hearing and smell by using his chakra, just as Sakumo-sensei had taught him. "But whatever it is, it's deadly, it's huge, and it's very near."

"Well that's useful, you idiot," hissed Sakura-chan, not knowing what to do and at a loss on how to help. Naruto ignored her. Naruto spotted it before the others, and as a result tried stopping it. The others were facing completely the wrong way, and Naruto did not have enough time to warn them. The giant wave of destruction made its way toward Team 7 at a frightening speed, but Naruto had been no slouch for the past six months, and the good night's rest he had gotten without Sakura-chan berating him for dragging the team down. He quickly appeared front of Sasuke and Sakura, and the wave hit him full on, blowing him into the air and out of view.

"I missed," Sasuke and Sakura heard an oily, smooth voice say. They saw a Grass nin standing alone, his arms loosely at his side. "But at least I get to have fun with you two, with that idiot out of the way." The Grass nin's chuckling made the hair at the back of Sakura's neck rise, and Sasuke too, but he wasn't about to show that.

XXX

Naruto finally fell to the ground after the giant wave lost its energy. He was heavily bruised from being pushed through dense foliage, and besides, the wave had had a lot of chakra mixed into it. However, his prospects weren't improving as he felt a giant shadow move in front of him, and a second later he heard an enormous hiss that sounded more like a roar. Naruto looked up and saw … a snake, a very big snake. Someone else might have panicked or immediately give up, but Naruto reacted differently. He smiled. He never got such challenged often, and so he reveled in them when they did. He wasn't stupid, no matter what anyone thought. He had already analyzed that he was meant to save Sakura and Sasuke, and he was supposed to be too far away to come and help. This giant snake was supposed to help get rid of him efficiently. That meant that this was a summoned snake and not some stupid, instinctual animal of the Forest. And last time he heard, only one person held the Snake Summoning Contract.

"I'm going to enjoy cutting you up, Hebi-kun," Naruto said sweetly, for once showing his murderous side to an enemy, the side of his personality most affected by the Kyuubi.

XXX

Oboro waited for his teammates to regain consciousness before telling them his plan. They listened intently, barely moving because their wounds had not fully healed. The Konoha genin had packed a punch, especially the blond one. They would enjoy getting their revenge.

"Do you think it will work?" Kagari said hesitantly. He did not imagine the prospects of this venture working very well.

"I have to agree with Kagari, Oboro," Mubi said, wincing as his chest spasmed. That knee by the blond ninja had definitely damaged some internal organs.

"Well, this is a good time to find out," Oboro said, his voice laid back, but there was a hint of tension in it. "Why don't you come out, Sound nin," he said. Suddenly the three sound nin appeared in front of the Rain team. Mubi and Kagari, not having sensed the Sound team, jumped back slightly, drawing a kunai each, but Oboro quickly hushed them.

"You heard our plan," Oboro said to the Sound team. "What do you think? I might also remind you that we have no scroll as the moment, and I know you are in need of a scroll yourself or you wouldn't have followed me all this way. So, what do you think?"

"I think we should slice up your costume, and kill your teammates, just for good measure," Zaku said in his usual over-the-top manner. However, Kin and Dosu were thinking things over. This just might work. After all, both teams were in need of a scroll, and both teams were after Sasuke's team. Things just might work. However, there was a snag both Oboro and Dosu noticed. There were only three scrolls up for grabs; the one Dosu's team had and the two Sasuke's team had. After the team was dispatched, another fight would ensue about who got both Heaven and Earth scrolls. They would just have to cross that bridge when they came to it.

XXX

Naruto looked down at the dead snake, his sides slightly heaving. The snake had proved quite the challenge, but Naruto won in the end. He took a few minutes to regain his composure and his strength, eating a food pill for good measure, and then made his way silently toward where his teammates were. He had to use all his stealth training to get there undetected, but Naruto had long learned that patience was a virtue. If whoever had attacked wanted either Sasuke or Sakura-chan, then they would keep them alive.

Naruto got to the clearing and watched as his teammates were tossed around like … prey. Sasuke was freezing up, slowly but surely. He had never been this outclassed, and didn't know how to deal with it. The Grass nin was way beyond genin level, and it showed. His speed, which Naruto had trouble keeping up with, was so fast he appeared to be a blur. His techniques were very advanced, and yet Naruto saw that he was holding back. Whoever he was, he was dangerous.

XXX

Sasuke threw the Heaven Scroll to the grass nin. It was over. He had tried his best, but it wasn't enough. There was a sudden blur of movement, and then the Heaven Scroll was plucked out of the air by a blue and green blur. Sasuke looked in shock as Naruto put the scroll in his pouch.

"What are you doing, you idiot!?" shouted Sasuke. "This guy's too strong for us to fight him!" Sakura shouted similar objections, but Naruto wasn't even paying attention to them. He and the Grass nin were having a stare off, and neither was giving in. Suddenly, Naruto bowed, his hands clasped together in front of him.

"It is an honour to finally meet you," Naruto said, and it was hard to say who was more surprised, The Grass nin or Team Kakashi. Orochimaru smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier. I got sidetracked."

"Well, well," he said. "What have we here? Naruto-kun, isn't it? I must congratulate you for defeating my summon. You are everything my information says you are."

"I must ask you to leave my Team alone," Naruto said, his body relaxed. The Grass nin laughed, hard.

"At least you are polite, Naruto-kun, but I'm afraid you have got something I want." With that, the Grass nin attacked. As he readied his defense, Naruto knew it was going to be a long night, and they still hadn't made their way to the Tower.

XXX

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura panted heavily. It had been a long day. First they were attacked by that Grass genin, an encounter they still did not know how they survived. While Sasuke and Sakura thought they shared the secret of the tomoe shaped tattoo on Sasuke's neck, Naruto had managed to swim into consciousness long enough to see what had happened to his teammate. He had not commented on it, leaving his two teammates to discuss whether they had thought he could be trusted or not. He was surprised to find that he felt slightly hurt that they had not told him already. And then there had been the Rain/Sound syndicate that had attacked while Sasuke and Naruto were still recuperating from the fight with the Grass nin. What has started out as a simply fight had multiplied into a mini war as Team Guy, Team Asuma, Team Kurenai and three other genin teams had joined in. Fully rested, Sasuke and Naruto proved to be a force to be reckoned with as they had quickly dispatched opponent after opponent. They had told Sakura to rest while they took care of business, much to her relief, seeing as she was so exhausted she could barely move. Also, Naruto waking up had proved to be an antidote to whatever Orochimaru had done, seeing as the purple demonic chakra that had engulfed Sasuke dissipated after Naruto woke up. That confrontation led to all the Rookie Nine gaining enough scrolls to go to the Tower, leaving a defeated Sound and Rain team, along with Teams from Mist, Cloud and Rock Villages.

And now Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, along with a new acquaintance, Kabuto Yakushi, looked across the Lake to ward the Tower … fifty metres off the surface of the Lake. Sakura couldn't help but drop, all the fighting spirit extinguished after such a long time spent fighting. Kabuto joined her on the ground, also exhausted. He had dissuaded Team Kakashi from opening a scroll when they had gotten desperate, telling them what would happen. He had left them, and rejoined them after Team Kakashi had gained both scrolls. Naruto and Sasuke, however, kept on staring at the Tower. They had no way of getting to the giant door that granted access to the inner courtyard of the Tower. After five minutes of silence, other Teams slowly got out from their hiding positions and revealed themselves. Among them was the Sound Team, much to Team Kakashi's displeasure. Shikamaru came over to them, his hands in his pockets.

"We have tried everything we can to get up there, but nothing will work. We saw this guy's teammates waving from a window," he said, pointing to Kabuto, "but they wouldn't' tell us how to get in. Troublesome all of this is, if you ask me. We've gotten our Scrolls, so what's the big idea?" Naruto did not answer. Something about this set up seemed familiar. And then it clicked. He smiled.

"Follow me," he said shortly. With that, he moved left a ways, lining himself up with the door of the Tower. "Sometimes when a problem is bugging you, just turn it upside down," he said as he started walking toward the water, and as expected, he started sinking slowly. When he was fifty feet in, however, something happened. He disappeared in a flash of blue. A second later, there was another flash of blue, and he reappeared. He held out his left hand, and it disappeared, but this time the blue was constant. Naruto was smirking. "And you get your prize," he said. Everyone was flabbergasted, to say the least.

"How'd you figure that one out?" Sakura couldn't help but ask. Naruto shrugged.

"Just a lucky guess. What if this was another of those misleading little details the examiners seem to be big on? All of you have been trying to get to that door up _there_, when you didn't think there might be a door down _here_. Now come on, if I'm right, we have under a minute before we are disqualified." There was a pause before tens of genin rushed at Naruto. He disappeared with a smirk, Sasuke, Sakura, Kabuto, and the other Rookie Nine hot on his back. They had passed this stage of the Exams. They couldn't wait for the next and final leg.

XXX

Inside, Naruto assessed the competition. They were all strong. He was glad to see Hinata already there, Kiba and Shino with her. She smiled and waved, something he knew she would never have done before they had begun their training together. Of course, all credit couldn't go to him. Some had to be given to Sanhana, Hinata's grandfather, the only person who had volunteered to help with their training. It was because of him Naruto was where he was. It was well and good being able to train by yourself, but having some to help, teach and simply be there for you was something else. Hinata had benefited greatly because of this. It seemed Sanhana was the only one in the Hyuga family who still cared for her, and his confidence in her abilities, along with his enormous but friendly presence gave Hinata back her old belief in herself. She now no longer stuttered, and she rarely blushed. The three of them – Hinata, Naruto and Sanhana – had struck an easy friendship, and now were very close. It made Naruto glad that someone other than himself and Kurenai cared about this girl.

He watched as Hinata came to join Team Kakashi. "I see you made it, Naruto-kun," she said, a smile of her face. Naruto couldn't help but think; _she truly is her namesake. She's changed a lot. It's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds._

"Barely," Naruto said, for once dropping his formal manner. Sasuke and Sakura were surprised, to say the least, to see these two interacting in such a way, and so was everyone who knew Hinata. Kiba and Shino smirked, though none could tell Shino was because of his coat. The new Hinata was definitely an improvement, but they did not know what had brought about this change. They were just thankful it had happened.

"Alright, pay attention!" a voice suddenly shouted from the front. "The Lord Hokage has a message for all of you." The last leg of the Exams had begun.

XXX

**I left out the fight between Orochimaru and Naruto and Sasuke because it went basically the same way as in the manga and anime. I left out the fight between Sound/Rain/Rock/Mist and Team Kakashi and the rest because it would have taken too long to write, and besides, nothing new would have been revealed. It's the next chapter that has got the surprises. Hope you enjoyed!**


	11. Volume 1: The Stranger and Preliminaries

**Note: I have made Gaara half as powerful as he is when he becomes the Kazekage. This is because I want Naruto to have a bigger and harder obstacle if he is going to become a powerful shinobi and be Hokage. Also, Gaara looks exactly as he does in Naruto: Shippuden, and his psychotic tendencies aren't as bad.**

**XXX**

All the assembled genin stood in equal rows and columns, listening to the Hokage's message. Most of them couldn't believe what they were hearing. They were nothing more than entertainment for some overweight Daimyo and ninja who couldn't find a girlfriend to better spend their time with. Kiba said as much, much to the amusement of everyone there. Even the Hokage had to smile before reprimanding Kiba for his disrespectful behaviour. As the outlines for the exam were put into perspective, several genin smiled with relief that they had been able to make it this far. It seemed that several teams of chunin were injected into the Exams, solely for the purpose of eliminating as many genin as they could.

"Now, I shall hand you over to your Proctor for the third stage of the exam. Good luck." The Hokage took his place among the assembled ninja, and was replaced by a Tokubetsu jonin who looked as if he suffered from insomnia, and what's more, he also appeared to suffer from a chronic coughing illness.

"My name in Gekko Hayate, and I shall be your Proctor for the third stage of the exam. Before we begin, I would like to congratulate you all for making it this far. Secondly, however, I would like to inform you that there are simply too many genin for the final stage."

"What do you mean there are too many of us?" Kiba shouted.

"What I mean is that there is a set number of how many genin can pass onto this stage. Whether it's because all of you are exceptionally skilled or the exams were a bit easy this year, I don't know, but, as per the rules, I now have to hold a preliminary round to eliminate at least half of you. Those that pass will advance into the final round. If anyone would like to quit now, it would certainly make things a whole lot easier. Your decision will not affect the rest of your team, so don't hesitate." After what seemed like an eternity, four hands went up. Three belonged to the last Rain team left in the exam, and the other belonged to Kabuto. Naruto looked on interest as Kabuto quietly conversed with his teammates. His sensitive hearing easily picked up their conversation, and he saved that tidbit of information for late use.

"What do you mean? We have all worked hard to get here. You can't just decide to eliminate us," Kiba said after the four genin had left.

"Sorry, but those are the rules." Gekko suddenly stood straighter, only for the effect only to be ruined as a coughing fit suddenly hit him. "Now listen up; the Electronic Board up there will decide who you have to fight to advance to the next round. There will be a total of Ten Matches. Any questions? Good. Let's begin. Everyone go up to the balcony please, and we may begin."

XXX

Naruto stood next to Hinata, looking at the board as it flicked through the list of who would fight first.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, his mouth barely moving. Hinata did not look at him, but at the board. After a moment, she answered.

"Yes and no. I would very much like to fight, to prove myself, but I am afraid who I will be forced to fight. I would not want to fight you, as that would be poor repayment after all you have done for me. I would also not want to fight that Sand genin, Gaara. Something tells me he's on another level of his own. Also, his chakra levels are tremendously high. My Byakugan tells me that they are nearly as large as your own, and he seems even more adept at using his chakra. I would, however, like to fight my cousin, Neji. I want to prove to the whole clan, especially my father and his wife what I am made of. I am afraid that he will beat me, though. His skills are prodigal, even within my own clan. I do not think I can live up to such expectations." Hinata took a deep breath. She was trembling, slightly.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan. You will acquit yourself well, no matter who you fight against. I have to agree with your conclusions about Gaara. If you come up against him, quit. I would do the same thing. He is a student in the art of murder. I can see the bloodlust in his eyes, and we don't even know what is in that gourd of his. However, don't worry about fighting me. I helped you so that you would become stronger. I am simply another barrier to overcome. And as for Neji … make him eat your dust." With a small smile to Hinata, Naruto left her with her teammates and went to join his own team. As he passed the Sand Team, however, he suddenly got a very strange feeling. The Kyuubi, rarely active, suddenly stirred within him, and he heard a deep, challenging roar. _**Shukaku!**_ He stopped and looked at Gaara. The Sand shinobi was looking at him with the same shock reflected in his eyes. After a moment, Naruto started walking again, his steps slow and deliberate. He knew who, or what, Shukaku was. If he was right, then the maroon clad shinobi he had just passed was like him, a container for a demon.

XXX

The first match was Sasuke against Yoroi, a teammate of Kabuto's. Naruto walked toward Sasuke and brought out a red card, much like the one Kabuto had shown them at the beginning of the Exams. Sasuke looked at the card with a raised eyebrow. He activated his Sharingan and was able to see Naruto activating a seal within the card, and suddenly information appeared on the card.

"Those are Kabuto's cards," Sasuke said somewhat surprised. Naruto shrugged.

"Nothing's off limits during this exam. We needed information on our competition, and I gathered it the best way I could."

"But how did you manage to get the deck working for you? I thought Kabuto said he performed the seal with his blood and chakra, meaning it would only recognise and work for him." Naruto smiled.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it? Don't forget that I still want to fight the so-called genius. We might not fight in the preliminaries, but come the final stage, I am going to show everyone exactly what a genius you are." Sasuke scowled and quickly read the card, scanning the information on it.

"Dreaming as usual, idiot," he said indifferently, but there was humour and anticipation in his eyes. He walked down onto the ground and looked at his opponent, already knowing the worst attack that could be used against him, the **Chakra Absorption Technique**. He had already scanned his environment, and knew that he could not use any of his **Katon jutsu** because the space was simply too small. Not only would his opponent manage to get in close to use his **Chakra Absorption Technique** while Sasuke was gathering the correct amount of breath and chakra, but using them would be a waste of chakra as well as the **Katon jutsu** would not by him time. That meant he would have to rely on his taijutsu skills seeing as he did not possess any genjutsu in his arsenal, baring the basic ones genins learnt in the academy, and they too would be a waste of chakra and time. He berated himself mentally, making a note to tell Kakashi to teach him more and varied jutsu, most for situations such as this one.

"Alright," Gekko said, his coughing fit making it very difficult for the two genin to hear what he was saying. "This is the first match of the preliminary exam. There are no rules, so everything is allowed. A match ends when one of you dies, surrenders, or is otherwise rendered incapable of fighting. Only I can make that decision however. I decide when a match ends, so listen to me or you will also get disqualified. Understood?" Both Sasuke and Yoroi nodded. Yoroi had a smirk on his face, and Sasuke knew he was thinking that his trump card was still undiscovered. "Good," Gekko continued. "Begin!" Gekko quickly jumped away, and Sasuke faced off against Yoroi. He was now very grateful that Kakashi had given him an intensive course in the **Konoha-ken taijutsu**, or Konoha Blade taijutsu, also called the Leaf Blade. He had also learnt his own clan's own taijutsu art, the **Karyu Taijutsu**, or the Fire Dragon Taijutsu. Sasuke had proved more adept at it than even learning ninjutsu. He was still sore inside that Kakashi, someone not from his clan, was an adept use of the Karyu Taijutsu, and to add injury to insult, Kakashi also had the Sharingan, which was fully matured and he could use all its powers. Kakashi was quickly becoming a barrier that had to be surpassed and removed.

He barely managed to get out of the way of the chakra charged palm as it came toward his face. Yoroi had decided to unleash his jutsu earlier than Sasuke would have thought, but then again, Yoroi didn't behave like a level-headed shinobi.

"Unleashing your **Chakra Absorption Jutsu** so early? I'm surprised. Normally shinobi would wait until the ideal moment to quickly finish their opponent with such a surprise jutsu." Sasuke smirked as he saw Yoroi's dumbfounded face, though it was hard to see because of the black mask that covered the genin's face from the nose downward and the black glasses that obscured the genin's eyes. Yoroi's shocked face was quickly replaced by anger. Yoroi attacked Sasuke in a quick succession of punches, kicks, elbows, but to no avail. He could not lay a finger on the gracefully flowing Sasuke. Thankfully, because of his jutsu and his experience, he did not leave an opening in his guard, and therefore Sasuke was unable to attack without getting himself hurt. It was quite the predicament. But Sasuke was using less energy to dodge than Yoroi was using to attack, so Yoroi would get tired at this rate. Yoroi realized this and cancelled his jutsu. Time to step this up a notch.

"You cannot defeat me, Yoroi. Admit defeat now and I won't have to show you the full power of my clan's Taijutsu." Yoroi did not reply, but instead crouched down onto the floor. He was panting, and his forehead was shining with sweat. Sasuke guessed that he had not fought long battles for quite a while, and his body was not used to it yet. Also, the second stage of the Exams, in the Forest of Death, had only ended less than twenty minutes previously. No one had as yet fully recovered. But however Yoroi was looking calmer by the second. Sasuke frowned. This wasn't the hothead he had been fighting. After a few seconds, Yoroi looked up at him, his smile evident from behind his mask.

"A shinobi should take advantage of any opportunity. That respite you gave me was noble, but it will end up being your downfall. Besides my **Chakra Absorption Jutsu**, I also happen to be very skilled with weapon combat. I may not have been able to get you with my jutsu, but I am going to tear down your defenses slowly but surely, until I have a clear shot at you."

Sasuke got into a defensive position, smiling at Yoroi. "And you telling me your tactics isn't shinobi-like at all. A shinobi's primary weapon is deception." Suddenly Yoroi's smile became more pronounced.

_Crap_, was all Sasuke had time to think before Yoroi disappeared in a puff of smoke, was replaced by a log, and twelve shuriken came at Sasuke from all directions, giving him no chance of escape. He would have to evade them all. He jumped forward, getting out of the path of four shuriken, and managed to dodge five more coming from right in front of him. He managed to dodge one from directly behind him, but to others got past his defenses and gouged deep into his arms. Sasuke hissed in pain. Suddenly attacks seemed to be coming from everywhere, and yet there seemed to be no sign of Yoroi on the field. For five minutes, which is a long time for any shinobi to spend fighting, Sasuke acquired more and more injuries and he dodged kunai, shuriken, senbon, iron spikes and a whole range of other weapons Sasuke could not identify. From above in the balcony, he heard Gai, in his usual loud and exaggerated manner, announce to Tenten that she would have to acquire new and improve her skills, seeing as she now had competition in her department as a weapons master. Sasuke gritted his teeth. This was becoming troublesome. Suddenly, Yoroi appeared right in front of Sasuke. Without proper time to react, without his Sharingan, and without his usual speed and reflexes, Sasuke was easy prey. Yoroi his Sasuke with a palm full of his **Chakra Absorption Jutsu**. Sasuke felt his chakra leaving his body at an increased rate. In the minute it took Sasuke to finally escape Yoroi's grasp, more than two thirds of his chakra had been drained and was now being used by Yoroi to increase the speed and regularity of the weapon attacks. He was desperate. He itched to unveil his Sharingan, but showing it here in the preliminaries would leave him vulnerable in the actual Finals. He had managed not to show his more powerful Sharingan to the genin in the Tower, apart from Naruto and Sakura. Whoever saw his Sharingan would be facing him in the Final stage, and that would only be if things got difficult. Like they were now.

As he was about to unveil his Kekkei Genkai, he suddenly, he remembered how Naruto had found the entrance to the Floating Tower.

"_Sometimes when a problem is bugging you, just turn it upside down, and you get your prize…"_

Maybe Yoroi was not using some complicated technique to hide himself and attack unseen from all sides with all these weapons. What if the weapons had already been laid onto the battlefield? What if Yoroi was now activating these weapons, moving from one location to another to replenish the stock so the barrage seemed endless? What if he was using a simple jutsu to achieve this seemingly miraculous disappearance. Sasuke smiled. He concentrated in between the break of the recent attack and the next one. He opened his eyes. He had found Yoroi.

The match suddenly changed tone as Sasuke attacked Yoroi's position, forcing the nin to unveil his **Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu**, an academy level jutsu. Yoroi stuttered, surprised.

"I still have most of your chakra, and mine. You can't beat me, Uchiha Sasuke!"

"I haven't finished with you yet, Yoroi," Sasuke replied calmly. He launched an impressive barrage of attacks at Yoroi, all of which landed, no matter how fast or how far Yoroi ran. Sasuke used his fists, feet, shins, elbows and his weapons from his pouch to land blows on Yoroi. He was tiring, but he would make it through this fight. He had to. Panting heavily, he finally launched one final attack, which was a hybrid of **Karyu Taijutsu** and the attack that had been used on him by Lee-kun. As he was flying through the air, his body almost gave up, and as a result wanted to resort to the Cursed Seal for power. For a moment, red markings played across Sasuke's face, but his will powered over the Seal, forcing it back into its dormant state. he powered into Yoroi with a chakra charged heel, slamming Yoroi, who was floating ten metres in the air, straight into the ground. Yoroi did not move. He was unconscious. Sasuke had won. He suddenly fell on one leg, the mental and physical exhaustion too much.

"The winner is Uchiha Sasuke," Announced Gekko Hayate, and Sakura and Ino could be heard cheering, while Shikamaru complained about fan girls.

_I did not get to see his Kekkei Genkai in action, his Sharingan_, though Hyuga Neji. _I will need to find out more about its powers from other sources then, if I am to defeat him._

"Come on, Sasuke," Kakashi said, appearing next to the Uchiha without a sound. Let's get you checked up for any wounds." His tone, although as light as usual, had a deeper meaning that brooked no argument. Kakashi knew about the Cursed Seal. Sasuke nodded, and followed Kakashi. On the balcony, Naruto saw them leaving, and decided to leave on his own short errand. Before he left however, as a form of insurance, he concentrated a quarter of his chakra and poured into a Shadow Clone, making the Clone faster, stronger, and more solid than the barely corporeal Clones he used in battle. Should his name be called, this Clone would be able to fight for a short while Naruto made his out of the Tower, using the his own specialized **Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu**. He did not want anyone to notice his departure, but something made him look across the room to the other balcony. Both Gaara and Neji were looking at his current position. He frowned. They would be troublesome opponents.

XXX

Naruto went straight to the Konoha Library, located inside the Academy. It contained general scrolls all Konoha shinobi had access to, but because of the demon sealed within Naruto, he had never been welcome in here because the Librarian thought he was up to no good, no doubt thinking Naruto would bur some books. As he went inside, the Librarian spotted him for the first time in seven years, and it took a few seconds for the old, retired, ninja to recognise Naruto. Once he did, he made a beeline for the genin, his intentions written on his face. He would not allow this riff-raff to come into his precious Library.

"Young man, you are not welcome here," the Librarian said stiffly.

Naruto pointed to his forehead protector. "All shinobi are welcome in here."

"Not if they are up to no good they are not!" Naruto suddenly lost his temper. Already half an hour had passed, which meant a minimum of three battles had to have taken place. He was losing time, and he was in no mood to play around. He grabbed the old ninja by the collar and lifted him easily off his feet, all the while keeping his cool, and calm, demeanor.

"Listen, old man, I have no time for this. I have come here, which is within my rights, and until you can prove otherwise, you will do your duty as the Librarian and help me seek the information I want." The old man glared at Naruto and tried to release himself, but Naruto's grip was like iron. He tried to punch Naruto, but the boy saw it coming and easily gripped the man's arm. He started crushing it in his hand, his eyes merciless. Naruto would never admit it, but he was enjoying this. He knew he had provoked the man just to get this response. This man had made his childhood a nightmare. It was people like this man that had come dangerously close to pushing Naruto over the edge, or to extinguishing his dream of becoming the Hokage. Naruto gave the man a small, cold and sadistic smile. Revenge definitely was better served cold. As Naruto was about to break the man's hand, however, another hand came and gripped Naruto's wrist with a gentle, but firm and iron-like grip.

"You don't want to be doing that, boy. He's an old man, powerless. Do you really want to be like him, a bully, beating up someone weaker than you?" Naruto looked in surprise at the person who had helped him. This person had eluded Naruto's sharp sense of hearing, smell and his sixth sense. Many Jonin could do so, but they were in Kakashi's league or higher. For someone like this old man who no stood smiling down at him to do so, it was unexpected, to say the least. As Naruto scrutinized the man, he realized that this man held an inner power, but what exactly it was, Naruto could not say. The man was wearing old, worn out clothes. His hair and beard were unkempt and shaggy, as if the old man cut them himself. They were shinobi clothes, but they looked like they had been used for the past few decades or so, which was unfathomable to Naruto. Hadn't this man heard of something called hygiene? While the man's demeanor was friendly, his eyes were very serious.

"Let him go, boy. I'm free at the moment. I'll gladly help you out seeing as I finished all the research I was doing." Naruto didn't know why, but he trusted this man explicitly, which only increased his suspicion. Nevertheless, he let go of the jittery Librarian, who immediately started running for the exit, no doubt going to spread the word, garner some support and come after Naruto, by which time Naruto would be back at the Tower.

"There, now that wasn't difficult at all, was it? Now what can I help you with, young man?" The man's accent was somewhere from the Highlands of the Fire Country, but last time Naruto checked, no one used this particular accent. He should know, seeing as that was one of the last places he came though with Jin-sensei when coming back to Konoha.

"I need to find all information Konoha has on one of the Sannin, Orochimaru." The man's eyebrow rose slightly.

"Isn't this the wrong time to do such research when you could be called back to the Tower for your preliminary match?" Naruto was instantly on guard, but the old man did not appear to notice. "Oh well," he continued, "this being Konoha, I have no doubt this information you are seeking is to help a teammate, yes?" Naruto nodded. "Well then, let us get cracking. But Orochimaru himself is a very broad subject, and so you will need to be more specific. Hmm, let me guess … Has he branded the young Uchiha with some sort of mark, perhaps?" Now Naruto was riled.

"Identify yourself, now!" He said, ready to fight. This man displayed too much hidden knowledge his comfort.

"Calm yourself, young man," the old man said. "It's not difficult to know such information if one is aware of Orochimaru-sama's plan to invade Konoha." Naruto suddenly stiffened. This was definitely classified information. Even ANBU did not know the full extent of the Snake's plan, but here was a man who flippantly bandied about his knowledge. The man sighed. "I … ran into some of Orochimaru-sama's chunin, and managed to acquire this information."

"Then why didn't you tell ANBU or the Hokage?"

This time the man looked surprised. "Why should I?" he said. "I may be welcome in Konoha, but I don not owe it allegiance, especially after the way they treat you. In fact, I was surprised to learn that your ambition is to become the Hokage, of all things."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his whole body tightening.

"What I mean is that despite the Yondaime's wish for you to be treated like a hero for containing the Kyuubi in your body, the villagers treat you exactly the opposite. They treat you like the Kyuubi incarnate. And as for why I do not owe Konoha allegiance, I shall keep that to myself. Suffice to say, I would not be allowed in the village if I did not have Sarutobi-sama's express permission, and I think of all the people in this village, Sarutobi-sama is the one true person who treats you fairly, honestly and caringly, so you can trust his judgement, correct?" he did not wait for Naruto to agree, but instead gestured for the genin to follow him. "Come on, you don't have much time."

"Wait a minute, who are you exactly?" Naruto finally got the nerve to ask. The man stopped and looked back at him, smiling.

"Just call me Yonbi-sama," the old man said lightly.

XXX

Sakura watched as Rock Lee was taken away carefully, in the firm but gentle grip of the medics. Gaara walked past the medic-nins, barely able to stand and breathing hard. Rock Lee had been a very interesting and challenging opponent. Sakura could still not believe that someone incapable of ninjutsu and genjutsu like Rock Lee was so powerful. He could easily be one of the most powerful genins in Konoha, even defeating Sasuke-kun! She saw Naruto jump down to the ground, landing without a sound from a twenty metre drop and run toward Rock Lee.

"Put Lee-senpai down," she heard him say.

"What do you think you are doing, you idiot?" she shouted. She had had enough of Naruto. How dare he just appear back in Konoha after six years and immediately think he runs the show? In less than the time it took to blink, Naruto used the **Shunshin Jutsu** and was standing right in front of her. He seemed to be moving at a speed that easily competed with Lee-kun's as he grabbed her by the neck and slammed into the wall, her feet dangling a foot off the ground despite the fact that he was the shortest genin in the Tower.

"For once in your life, will you learn to shut up!" he hissed at her, which scared her all the more because normal people would be screaming. Naruto's venom, however, was seeping out of him in dark coils, and she saw the anger and contempt in his eyes. He was close to losing control. "I have had enough of you for quite a while. If you wish to continue breathing, I suggest you learn to close that flippant mouth of yours. I thought you cared about Lee-senpai. Do you want him to die, or worse, quit being a shinobi?" He held her like that, staring into her eyes with cold, ice blue ones. Her body cried for oxygen, but he was not letting her have it. She started gagging and choking, clawing at him to release her. They heard the medic-nins put Lee-kun down as Lee began having a fit. Suddenly Naruto let her go and appeared next to the medics. She gagged and sucked in a gulp full of sweet oxygen. Her fight with Ino had been very strenuous on her body and Naruto' attack hadn't helped.

She saw Naruto sit down with legs folded. He got out a scroll, opened it and smeared his blood on it. He folded it and placed it in-between his index and fingers and his thumbs as her formed the Tiger seal. For a second nothing happened, and the medics were almost ready to take Lee-kun away to the medical ward when they felt green chakra, healing chakra, engulf Naruto. They actually saw a green chord of chakra link Naruto and Lee, and then they felt healing chakra engulf Lee-kun as well. They saw Lee-kun's wounds slowly start to reduce in swelling. This went on for ten minutes, in which no one present said a word. Finally, Naruto let go of the scroll, which disappeared in a puff of smoke, and fell back, gasping. A medic checked over Lee briskly with his chakra.

"Most of his internal wounds are healed, especially the muscle rapture and the barrage his limbs and spinal column received. His condition has stabilized now." He looked at Naruto, a genuine smile on his face. "Thanks, kid."

Naruto nodded dazedly. He was a Shadow Clone, and his make-up was slowly disintegrating. It was taking all his concentration to remain solid. He would need a few moments to recover so that the real Naruto would be able to make it back without trouble. "I couldn't let my senpai die now could I?"

"Why do you call him senpai?" Gai suddenly said, appearing next to his student. Naruto smiled at him.

"You'll know soon enough," was all he said.

"That scroll you used," the medic-nin continued as all the medics lifted Lee-kun onto the stretcher. "Was it…?" Naruto nodded.

"One of the Slug-Princess' Healing Scrolls. It took me quite a while and a lot of trouble to acquire it, but Lee-senpai needed it more than I ever will." He got up and slowly made his way toward the balcony, his steps slightly dodgy. He did not speak to anyone, but went to stand where he had been before, completely ignoring Sakura-chan. He was clearly not in the mood.

"Right," Gekko said. "The arena has been cleared and we can continue. Only two matches remain with four genins. The Board will now decide who will fight who." The Board flickered between the four names and suddenly two came up: **Uzumaki Naruto Vs Inuzuka Kiba**. Naruto sighed.

"Can't I catch a break?" he said. He jumped lightly down onto the floor, but this time winced slightly. His stamina was heavily affected. He could sustain himself for much longer. He would have to go on the defensive to buy more time, since attacking would only use up more stamina and chakra.

"I can't wait, Naruto. You have shown to amazing growth from the dimwit you were before," Kiba said in his usual blunt way. Naruto simply grunted. He would have to use his ingenuity to its limits.

"Fight!" signaled Gekko. Sakura could not help but smile as a fresh Kiba and Akamaru attacked a tired Naruto. Naruto had gotten too big for his boots. Kakashi appeared next to Sakura, watching Naruto fighting Kiba. Something was off, he immediately saw, and so asked Sakura to tell him everything that had happened since he had left. Naruto had located as he was preparing the **Evil Sealing Method** and had presented him with some very useful and interesting information before leaving. He had seemed fine. And now here he was, barely able to get away from attacks only half as fast as his normal speed. As he heard about the Healing Scroll, he did not buy what was happening. Even Kakashi, who only had a third of Naruto's chakra capacity, could have used the Healing Scroll no problem. He unveiled his Sharingan and immediately saw that this Naruto was a Kage Bunshin.

_You never cease to amaze me, Naruto. Now where exactly is the real you?_ As he thought this, the Kage Bunshin was hit at full force by one of Kiba's attacks. It did not get up, but merely grunted in pain. One of its arms disappeared as it started to slowly lose control of its corporeal state. Kiba looked out for the real Naruto, but he wasn't there. After thirty seconds, the Hokage confirmed that Naruto was not in the arena.

"If he isn't here within ten seconds, he is disqualified and Kiba Inuzuka wins." The seconds ticked mercilessly, but after ten seconds, Naruto did no show. Gekko raised his right hand and brought it down sharply. "Naruto Uzumaki is hereby disqualified, and the winner is–" He was cut off and a blond blur appeared near the Hokage, followed by three black blurs. Everyone watched as Naruto dodged the ANBU's attacks, barely managing to do so.

"Stop!" said the Hokage. "What's going on here?"

"Hokage-sama," one said. "This boy was caught trying to enter your chambers, trying to get some classified information."

Naruto smiled. "I wasn't trying to _get_ anything. I was trying to leave this scroll for the old man, that's all." People were shocked to hear someone refer to the Hokage that way, but the Hokage didn't even bat an eyelid. He trusted Naruto. He held out his hand for the scroll. The Hokage read it extensively, and then looked at Gekko.

"The match will continue as planned. Naruto, even though he was a Kage Bunshin, still remains in the field. You ANBU, act accordingly to this information. Now!" The ANBU took the scroll and disappeared.

"What!?" shouted Kiba. "That's favoritism!"

"No, its not. Naruto here has done nothing technically wrong. He still remains in the fight. The only reason I gave the signal for his disqualification was because I want this over with quickly. But since he is here and Gekko did not announce you the winner, the match continues. And that's final!" Naruto jumped onto the arena and landed near his Kage Bunshin. He put his palm on the Kage Bunshin's chest and a blue glow surrounded his hand. The Kage Bunshin disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Naruto winced slightly before standing up and facing Kiba.

"I see you have improved in your clan's ninjutsu and taijutsu, especially your **Tsuga**, or Piercing Fang attacks." Kiba smiled at him, but it was clear he was unnerved. "But you are no match for. I am merely waiting for a match I have wanted to see for a quite a while now. Surrender and I can get on with it. I won't be merciful, Kiba."

"It would be a shame not to fight you, and I want to get to the finals no matter. And do you seriously think some dropout like you can defeat me? I have been working hard for–" He never got to finish as Naruto appeared a mere foot from him, his manner calm. Naruto kicked Kiba in the chest, sending him flying across the arena and hard into a wall. Kiba landed with a hard exhalation of breath and did not get up. Akamaru, angered, attacked Naruto. He was in his Beat-Human Form, and therefore looked like Kiba. He was more suited to battle, especially using the Piercing Fang, and was a more suitable opponent for Naruto. He attacked mercilessly, but Naruto easily evaded all of the swipes. As Akamaru was about to launch another attack, Naruto appeared in front of a Kiba who was trying to stand up. Naruto gripped Kiba by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

"Stop, Akamaru," Naruto said. The dog whimpered, not knowing what to do, but finally got down on all fours, whining. The ninjutsu as dispelled and Akamaru was once again a small white dog. Naruto looked at Kiba.

"Look at Akamaru's surroundings. You will see that he is surrounded by Exploding Tags. Surrender or I will make dog meat out of him.

Kiba looked at Akamaru and swore. _Damn it … I am already tired, and Akamaru cannot help me. His dog's loyalty will not allow him to cause any harm to come to me, and I should do the same. Akamaru will be shredded. I could try to attack … but I don't know whether this new Naruto will murder Akamaru as a result. I can't take any chances._ Kiba raised his hand, somewhat difficultly.

"I surrender, Proctor." Gekko nodded. "The winner is Uzumaki Naruto!" Gekko announced. Naruto let go of Kiba and formed seal. As Kiba thought that Naruto was about to explode the tags anywhere, he heard numerous puffs of smoke as the tags disappeared. The tags had been duds. He smiled. Smart of Naruto. Naruto handed him some Healing Balm, which he promised would help, along with what other medicine the medic-nins provided.

Naruto turned round and saw the next and last contestants a few feet from him: Neji and Hinata. The match he had been helping Hinata train for, along with Sanhana. Hinata had to prove her worth to her family, to the entire Hyuga clan, and this was it. Naruto was suddenly the only one on the field, apart from the two contestants. He looked at Hinata.

"Do your best," he murmured before disappearing, and appearing a moment later next to Kakashi and Sakura, not paying them any attention. This was it. The fight between a genius and a so called failure.

"Fight!" shouted Gekko, realizing the tension in the room was huge. The Hyuga Showdown Began.

XXX

**Well, I hope you enjoyed that. Now normally I don't bother with these things, but I have been feeling a bit unappreciated, and so would like to ask people to Read and Review. I need as much input as I can get, especially with the upcoming original arc, just after the Konoha Invasion, which I have planned. Also, I am sorry no one got to watch Gaara in action, but let me tell you that you will get to see him during the finals. Also, I will give out a prize to anyone who can guess who the stranger was by telling them what my short but intense arc will be about. It concerns Naruto deeply, and I think it will be very juicy. **


	12. Volume 1: Hinata's Strength

Hinata and Neji faced off, neither of them moving. Neji's stoic expression and Hinata's clam one gave all the spectators no clue as to what was going to happen, but most of them had already pegged Neji as the winner and Hinata as the loser. From what Kabuto had told them all before the beginning of the first stage of the Exam, Neji had completed all his missions successfully, all fifty-two of them, most of them being C rank missions, with only a few D rank missions. His chakra capacity was estimated at Chunin level, and his chakra control was estimated at … _Elite_ Jonin level. Unbelievable. Because he used his clan's fighting style, there was no way he could be ranked in power, but again, estimations had been giving. Within the Hyuga Clan, Neji's mastery of the Hyuga Arts was estimated at Elite Chunin level. Totally unbelievable, that such a guy would still be a genin. Hinata, on the other hand, had not had such a prestigious record. She had done a measly eleven missions, ten being D rank and one being C rank. She had only managed to successfully complete one mission, which ironically was the much harder C rank mission. Her chakra capacity was also at Chunin level, and her chakra control had been estimated at Elite Chunin level. Her mastery of the Hyuga Arts put her at … Genin level, and she was the heir of the Hyuga Clan. Not many people had been optimistic about Hinata's future, but they had kept their opinions to themselves. However, much to Kabuto's surprise, Hinata's activity for the past seven months had not been recorded, but again people had discounted that fact. After all, in thirteen years she had only managed a measly record. What could she possibly achieve in seven months? Neji and Hinata – this was a match many people were looking forward to watch. All chunin and jonin present in the hall were waiting expectantly for this deciding match. Would a branch family member finally be able to surpass a head family member? Kurenai had been very confident about her student, something she normally wasn't on account of Hinata's shyness and lack of confidence. But after seeing this new Hinata, a Hinata that was calm, collected and very sure of herself, they began to believe Kurenai's claims. Hinata might just have done a complete one-eighty in seven months. They couldn't wait to see the results of this match. Hinata and Neji continued to looks at each other. Some couldn't be sure, but it almost looked as if Neji was trying to stare Hinata down. Neji finally broke the tense silence.

"Hinata-sama," he said. "I finally have the honour to fight you." Hinata did not say anything. She simply stood there, silent. Faint lines of anger appeared on Neji's face. "But I feel obliged to tell you, Hinata-sama, that you cannot defeat me. Please, surrender this match before I am forced to hurt you. We both do not want that to happen."

"Really?" Hinata said, speaking for the first time. Her voice was also calm and collected, and it was much more confident and firm than the last time people had heard her speak. "Tell me, Neji-kun, why do you think you can defeat me?"

Neji blinked. "Why? Well, I would have thought that the statistics would speak for themselves. I am above you in every respect. There is no way you could beat me. A mere seven months of training, no matter how intensive, could change this. Fate has doomed you to always live in my shadow, Hinata-sama." Hinata raised an eyebrow.

"Live in your shadow? Is that what you think I do, Neji-kun? Then you have been deluding yourself, dear cousin. And I have worked hard during the last seven months, Neji-kun. I am not the bumbling, weak little girl you once knew. If you still think that, then it shall be your downfall. _Pride cometh before the fall_, after all." Neji's fist started shaking, slightly.

"You are deluding yourself, Hinata-sama. Relinquish your foolish quest, or I will not be held responsible for what happens to you. Fate had already determined that you would lose the moment you were chosen as my opponent. The gap between us is simply too big to cover with just _hard work_, and if you believe that then you are truly a fool. Hard work is something losers believe in, simply so that they can disguise their own inadequacy. You have just joined those ranks, Hinata-sama. Fate determined your path the moment you were born, and no amount of hard work will change that!"

Hinata sighed. "I had hoped to convince you your outlook on life was wrong. Your philosophy is heavily flawed, Neji-kun. Explain how Lee-kun nearly won against Gaara of the Sand, or how Naruto-kun won against Kiba-kun. They are both losers in your eyes, are they not, Neji-kun?"

Neji shrugged noncommittally. "Lee lost, plain and simple. No matter how hard he trains he will never be as good as a genius, as good as me. And Naruto always was and always will be a loser. Kiba is simply a bumbling idiot, and therefore cannot be compared to a genius. That match was just one loser fighting another."

"You should show more respect for your comrades, Neji-kun," Hinata said with steel in her voice, the first sign of a fight since the match had started two minutes previously. "And if that is true, then why did I catch you with a worried look in your eyes and a bead of sweat on your brow when you saw the extent of Lee-kun's and Naruto-kun's abilities?" Neji finally lost his sense of control.

"Enough of this talk! We came here to fight, so let's fight already." He got into his Jyuken stance, his body relaxed and poised. Hinata shook her head. "I see I will never convince you, cousin. Very well, let us fight," she said. She got into exactly the same stance as Neji, which surprised him because it showed Hinata had somehow mastered an advanced form of the Jyuken taijutsu. His eyes narrowed. First Hinata's eyes had changed, and now her body. What was she truly capable off? No matter, he was going to enjoy subduing her spirit.

"**Byakugan**!" both Hyugas shouted.

XXX

Naruto looked down at the conversing Hyugas, his knuckled white from gripping the railing too hard. This was it, the moment her had helped her to achieve. But now that it was here, he was having doubts. Was she truly ready to fight this Hyuga genius? Sakura looked at Naruto, something in his posture alerting her that he wasn't alright. He looked the same, calm and indifferent, but then she noticed his hand gripping the railing, hard. His knuckles were white. What exactly had gone on between Naruto and Hinata? To her surprise, she found that she was slightly jealous. Naruto was stronger than her she had admitted to herself long ago, even though she would never do so in public. Was that where he had been? Training Hinata? Well, no matter. Naruto may be strong, but he was not a genius like Neji or Sasuke-kun. Hinata would lose.

Neji was the first to attack. He jumped toward Hinata, his hands a blur as he attacked Hinata with multiple palm strikes. She blocked them all, her demeanor coiled and posed to strike, like a snake. Neji jumped back from his attack, assessing what he had just seen. Hinata had gotten better, a lot better. Her Jyuken had improved considerably, but not up to his standards. However, her defense was perfect, better than his, and so he had to get past that for him to deliver any heavy damage. Hinata stood there, her hands in front of her, palms open, waiting. Neji snarled slightly. Did she now think she was better than him? Well, he would show her. He attacked again, his barrage more intense than the last time. But again and again Hinata blocked all his attempts to her tenketsu. He was infuriated. She could not have gotten this good in seven months. He increased the speed of his blows and added other limbs into the attack. He was now using his entire body like the weapon it was born to be. He no longer formed chakra needles for his Jyuken on his hands only. He now formed the on his knuckles, elbows, knees and feet. Hinata started to looks overwhelmed, and Neji smiled. Increasing his speed even more, he managed to hit several tenketsu on her chest, sending her flying across the floor. He stood tall, his full confidence restored.

"I warned you, Hinata-sama. You cannot defeat me," Neji said, now calm again.

"Pride Cometh before the fall," everyone hard Naruto say, and Neji looked up, smirking. The loser actually believed that crap? Suddenly, his Byakugan saw something coming at him from behind, moving faster than even he could. He turned round and saw Hinata five feet from him, her right palm aiming for his stomach, where his chakra pool was located. If she hit him, he would not be able to summon chakra for quite a while, rendering him almost useless. He was not fast enough to avoid the blow, curse Hinata, and so the only thing he could do was divert the attack. He crouched down, and so when Hinata hit him, she hit his left shoulder and not his stomach. Neji was surprised by the force behind the blow. All Jyuken users did not have to build muscle strength because their attacks were internal. Instead, they built up resilience and bone and joint strength so their fingers could sustain the effects of hitting someone's body. He was sent flying ten feet across the floor, and as he was in the air, he saw the Hinata he had attacked replaced by a log. She had performed a **kawarimi**, but when? He has gravely underestimated her.

"Surprising, Hinata-sama," he said as he quickly stood up. "You have gotten stronger, faster, and your Jyuken has improved greatly."

"Stop holding back, Neji-kun, or else." Neji scowled. This had gone far enough. First she gets in a cheap shot and now she thinks she's queen of the shinobi world. He smirked at her.

"What are you really hoping to achieve, Hinata-sama? Are you hoping to prove yourself to your father? Last time I heard, he will not even see you anymore. He has banished you prom his presence and placed you within a branch family compound, away from anyone else so you do not cause him any more embarrassment. Does that sound like the kind of man who would take you back? Does that sound like the kind of man who would forgive you for losing to a branch family member?" For a second, Hinata hesitated, thinking. Was that really what she had thought would happen? In that moment of indecision, Neji struck. He managed to get in three shots to her chest and several on her arms as she defended herself. She coughed, tasting blood. Neji had managed to damage a blood vessel in one of her lungs.

"Really, Hinata-sama, what is it that you expected to happen? Your father is ashamed to call you his daughter and denounces you in front of the other Hyuga members in favour of a more _gifted_ daughter of his that is _half your age_. Do you not feel ashamed of yourself, Hinata-sama? You have put the head family through so much disappointment, and yet here you are, still trying to prove yourself worthy, and still failing miserably. What do you think will happen when the Hyuga discover their heir has been beaten by a branch family member? They will revolt, plain and simple, Hinata-sama. And do you think that your father will allow such a thing to happen? The Hyuga put together are more important than one incompetent heir, Hinata-sama. What do you think your father would do to stop discord in the clan?" Neji smirked knowingly, and got back into his Jyuken stance.

Hinata looked at him, all vestige of self-control gone. "Shut up and fight!" she yelled, running toward Neji.

XXX

Naruto trembled slightly, his whole body racking. She had not been ready after all. The psychological attacks Neji was using against her were working, no matter how mediocre they were. He tried to hold in his emotions as he saw Neji continue attacking Hinata physically and mentally. By now most of her tenketsu were damaged of fully closed. This was entirely his fault! If he hadn't been so overconfident, this would not have happened. He should have told her to be patient, but he hated seeing her so timid and put-down. He had thought this exam would boost her self-esteem, but instead it was now being eroded away like it wasn't even there. Below him, Hinata was slowly getting bruised and battered, and another minute of this and she would be rendered completely unable to fight. He hung his head, and as Sakura saw that, she felt pity for both Naruto and Hinata. They were two losers who had tried to become better, but there were always geniuses like Neji ready to bring them down. She went closer to him and put a consoling hand on his arm, only to jerk back in pain as her hand was burnt on contact. Her surprise was replaced by anger a moment later.

"What was that for!? I was only trying to help!" Naruto was breathing heavily now, his racking obvious. His right arm suddenly struck out for Sakura, a movement that no one looking would have been able to see. But Kakashi had been anticipating it. He knew Naruto, deep inside, was emotional, and he already knew about the two genin's encounter earlier. He easily gripped the boy's wrist, stopping Naruto's hand a mere millimeter from Sakura's neck.

"Let me go, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto growled.

"Calm down first, Naruto. You are getting too emotional." Naruto ripped his hand from Kakashi's grip, making a disgusted noise. Kakashi was surprised by the force behind the boy. Ever since the formation of Team 7, Naruto was the one he had least spent time with. He did not know the full capabilities of Naruto. Sasuke had already shown to what extent he would go when pushed, and so had Sakura. But Naruto, well, Naruto had been as unmotivated as Kakashi had ever seen a shinobi unmotivated, barring Shikamaru, of course. Naruto only fought when required to, and did not enter emotion into the equation. That was not the Konoha way. Konoha shinobi were at their strongest when fighting to protect someone. Sasuke had protected his teammates during their mission in Wave Country and in the Forest of Death. Sakura had protected her teammates from the Sound and Rain Teams in the Forest of Death when they had been injured and exhausted from their fight with the Grass shinobi. But Naruto, he still remained a mystery to Kakashi. Kakashi had hoped to be able to open up Naruto, but the boy refused to come out of his shell.

"I am not being emotional, Kakashi-sensei. And I thought I already told you to shut up, Sakura. I am in no mood to entertain your fancies." Thoughts ran rampant through Naruto's head. Why was he being so affected by this fight?

XXX

Neji took advantage of the commotion on the balcony.

"You see, Hinata-sama?" asked Neji, panting. Even though he had finally got the upper hand, Hinata had proved that she wasn't going down easily, especially after he had told her she had been disowned as the heir officially, Hanabi, a six year old girl, taking her place. She had been defiant, and as a result, Neji's chakra was severely depleted. Hinata currently held more chakra on account of being on the defensive. He just needed to keep it that way until he got a clear, deciding, shot, or else she would prove almost unbeatable, what with her faster speed, greater strength and better stamina.

"Even your training partner on the balcony does not believe you can do this. He is practically shaking with worry over what he convinced you to do. He is the one who helped you, correct? I saw you two the night he got you out of that bind with the Hyuga patrols. He convinced you that you were something you are not, and now he regrets it. I can see it in his posture. These eyes of mine see everything." Hinata looked at Naruto, surprised. She saw he _was_ shaking.

"… Naruto…kun…" she stammered hopefully, but he would not meet her eyes. She felt the fight slowly drain out of her, and that was when Neji struck. He gathered a large amount of chakra into his palm and pushed it into Hinata's chest, straight toward her heart. She was lifted off her feet and sent careening ten metres. She did not get up.

"I told you, Hinata-sama. Your fate was sealed the moment I was chosen as your opponent. You cannot win." Neji turned toward the Proctor. "Call the match, Proctor. She will not be getting up anytime soon." Gekko looked at the boy, and then at Hinata. He shrugged. He raised his arm and brought it down decisively.

"Don't you dare!" Everyone looked at Naruto in shock. He was shaking visibly, but the most shocking thing were his eyes. The pupils were no longer round, but slit-like, like an animal's. "Don't call the match just yet! She's still going to fight!" Sakura was about to tell Naruto off when Kakashi stopped her. Naruto was already emotional enough. He did not need someone pushing him over the edge.

"Calm down, Naruto," Kakashi said, putting a calming hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You can see for yourself that Hinata is not going to be getting up after a blow to the heart. Let her rest. She's gone as far as she can." Naruto pulled himself out of Kakashi's grip.

"Let me go," he growled. "Just watch Hinata. She's not finished yet." Neji looked up at Naruto and scowled.

"Shut up, loser," he said. "All that shouting, it's very annoying and not the way a proper shinobi should behave."

"Don't … call … Naruto-kun … a loser…" Neji turned back in surprise as he saw Hinata slowly getting back to her feet. What was this new strength she had acquired that allowed her to be so strong?

XXX

Hinata heard Naruto-kun shout, and instantly knew that her fears had been wrong. Naruto-kun did believe in her after all. As her confidence returned, her sight came back. She now saw how Neji had manipulated her psychologically, just as she had done at the beginning of the fight. She berated herself for getting so emotional. Now most of her tenketsu were closed and she could barely feel her chakra. But she had to do this. Kurenai-sensei believed in her. Kiba-kun believed in her. Shino-kun believed in her. Naruto-kun believed in her. She could not let matters as trivial as her father and what the Clan thought to sidetrack her. She would win this match, and prove Neji-kun wrong.

She slowly got up and heard Naruto-kun cheer for her. That was all she needed. She would win.

"I allowed you to get under my skin, Neji-kun, but no more. You talk of fate, and here you are, half defeated by a so-called loser." Neji shook his head.

"You don't want to do this, Hinata-sama." Hinata's expression changed from calm to determined.

"If you won't attack, I will!" she shouted. With that, she moved even faster than Neji had seen her move at the beginning. He took a step back, shocked. Also, her stance had changed. The Jyuken stance had somehow been altered, and it now held a more imposing form.

Naruto smiled, and his shaking stopped. "The **Mizuken**," he said proudly. Sakura looked at him, forgetting his attack on her earlier, and asked what that was. Naruto was so preoccupied with the battle below he barely paid any attention to who was speaking to him. "The **Mizuken**, or Water Fist, is Hinata's own specialized form of ninjutsu and taijutsu. She mixed elements of the Jyuken and Tai Chi to create a unique taijutsu that only she can use. It is an internal martial art, but it also has elements of external martial art, such as speed and strength. Because of the Byakugan, many Hyuga have a natural way to fight someone who is faster than them because they can see the attack coming. But with the **Mizuken**, Hinata has a distinct advantage because she has the same abilities of the Byakugan and Jyuken, but her style is slightly different and has different forms, so any Hyuga will have trouble fighting someone who uses this hybrid."

Hinata attacked Neji with the same technique he had used, by creating chakra needles on multiple parts of her body, something even Jonin cannot do at once. Neji ducked away, concentrating hard just to keep away. _She has copied my moves after only seeing them once!_ Despite his best efforts, Neji was hit several heavy blows that not only damaged his tenketsu, but also his muscles and bones. This triple attack was more crippling than he could have imagined.

"The **Mizuken** has multiple attack capabilities, which is a disadvantage to anyone who comes across it," Naruto said. "Once Hinata comes in close to her opponent, she sticks to them like glue. That was one reason why she increased her speed. As you can see, Neji is trapped. He cannot get away from her, and soon he shall be defeated. Neji heard this and snarled. It was true. Hinata would not let him catch his breath, and he could feel himself tiring quickly. He needed to use _that_ technique to give him some space. He released a burst of chakra from every part of his body and started spinning. Hinata saw this and instantly knew what he was doing. The **Hakkeshō Kaiten**, or the Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin. She had perhaps five seconds before the Kaiten was complete and she would be pushed away, and so she began her own jutsu. She gathered a large amount of chakra and expelled it behind herself. She then directed it using her arms and rose it into the air, like a storm's wave. She then thrust it forward until it came within an inch of Neji's growing Kaiten. She made the chakra wave around her, the large stream slowly thining with each revolution until it was a dense and compact layer on her right hand. All present murmured as they saw that Hinata's jutsu was so powerful the could actually see the glowing blue chakra on her right hand. She thrust it toward Neji's heart.

"**Hakkesho Kaiten!**" Neji yelled at the same time Hinata yelled, "**Hakke Hira-koi Tsuppari!**" There was a large burst of light as the two attacks met, two attacks that would determine who would win. Neji was shoved back a centimetre. No attack had ever been powerful enough to stand against his Kaiten, let alone move _him_. Neji's Kaiten battled with Hinata's **Dense Palm Thrust**, but it wasn't wining. It was slowing down. Hinata's corosive jutsu slowly bore a hole in Neji's slowing **Heavenly Spin**.

_She's getting past my Heavenly Spin!_ Neji thought in panic, but there was nothing he could do but wait and hope. Hinata held back, timing it carefully, and then with a last burst of power, she thrust the Dense Palm through Neji's Kaiten. The jutsu had lost much chakra while getting past the Kaiten, and so when it hit Neji, it was only at half it's power. Hinata released the dense chakra in one big concentrated burst straight to Neji's heart. However, her manouevre had cost her dearly, because Neji was still spinning when she hit him, she got his full on with the Kaiten. Both Neji and Hinata went flying.

XXX

Naruto looked at the nearly unconscious opponent, hoping Hinata would get up before Neji did, or else she would lose. There was a chance that both contestants would be disqualified if they didn't get up within twenty seconds, but Naruto chose not to entertain those thoughts. Slowly, but surely, both Neji and Hinata got up, panting heavily and barely able to stand.

"I see," Hinata said, her voice still strong. "You are truly a genius of the Hyuga Arts. You were able to teach yourself Hiashi-sama's jutsu, a head family jutsu. Conratulations."

"That jutsu," Neji said, teetering on his feet. "What was it? It was powerful enough to actually defeat a head family jutsu."

"It was my **Dense Palm Thrust**. I created it specifically to defeat my father's technique, which it appears you have mastered on your own. I created it the night it flooded in Konoha a few months ago. The idea of a storm surge, of all that wild watery power being compressed into a simple Jyuken palm thrust was too good to pass up." Neji suddenly got down on his knees and coughed blood. The attack had succeeded alright. Hinata joined him on the ground. Her body could not sustain itself anymore. Neji's attacks had been merciless on her tenketsu and her organs. Both were near passing out.

"I see," Neji said at length, his coughing fit sudsided. "I have underestimated you, Hinata-sama. A grave error, it seems." He slowly got to his feet. "But you have underestimated my destiny too, Hinata-sama. I am meant to win, and you cannot change that. I have a newfound respct for you, Hinata-sama, but I know my fate, and you should know yours!" With that Neji ran at Hinata, but the Dense Palm Thrust had severly affected him. Hinata saw him coming, but she was too spent to do anything.

"Hinata, move!" Naruto shouted. A moment ago he had been celebrating alongside what remained of the rookie nine, but now he was back to his tense self. He saw the look in Neji's eyes; killer intent. Killing Hinata was the only way to win, what with his much depleted chakra reserves and stamina. He closed his eyes, for the first time in his life praying. He prayed that Hinata would be alright. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Hinata was standing twenty feet from Neji. Both were panting.

"I have shown you two of my original jutsu, cousin," Hinata said, "so now get ready to see a third." Naruto let out a long breath.

"What is she doing?" Sakura asked as Hinaa performed a set of handseals very slowly on account of her shaking fingers.

"I don't know," Kakashi said. "I have never seen those handseals put together like that."

"She had once again combined the Jyuken with a foreign element," Naruto informed them. "At the moment, getting in close to Neji would be disastrous for her. One wrong move and she'll be finished. She cannot allow him to get another shot at her tenketsu, so she has to fight his using mid-range attacks. That's one of Neji's weaknesses; he does not posses many, if any, mid to long-range attacks. Watch."

As they watched, Hinata got into her **Mizuken** stance again, but they could feel chakra swirling around her palms and feet. Neji, with his Byakugan, saw that she had gathered a lot of her remaining chakra and was now concentrating it into her hands and feet. No matter, he would not give her a chance to use this new technique. He charged, but instantly jumped aside. Hinata had done a palm strike straight toward him and an impression of her fist made of chakra flew toward him. Jyuken at a distance? How? He got angry. She was supposed to be a dropout, like Naruto! All these new techniques, and all very efficient, deadly and powerful. How had she achieved this?

The others, not possessing the Byakugan, only saw Hinata strike forward and then Neji jump away. However, they did see the wall behind Neji crumble inward in the shape of Hinata's palm. They gasped. This girl had truly advanced.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, again.

"She gathers chakra into her hands and feet, and then discharges it in the enemy's direction. Because someone has to have the Byakugan to see the attack, it is one of the most perfect jutsus in existence. It produces no sound, no visual effect and uses little chakra, since it is similar to the Jyuken. Someone would have to be an expert at chakra control to feel this attack coming. Even most Jonin wouldn't know what hit them. She perfected it a few weeks ago, before the beginning of the Exams. She hasn't gotten round to naming it yet."

Neji cursed as he heard this. Just how far had Hinata advanced. He was losing this battle, and it was apparent. He could not get close to Hinata to use any of his jutsu. It was only a matter of luck who would tire first and collapse, and Neji did not rely on luck. He decided on his plan of action and acted. He jumped toward Hinata, allowing himself to be hit in several of his tenketsu by Hinata's chakra palms. He landed ten feet fro Hinata in a stance familiar to Hinata. She jumped back in horror, but it was too late.

"**Hakke Rokujūyon Shō**!" he said. The Eight Trigams Sixty-Four Palms. Hinata knew that she was finished, but nevertheless she tried to dodge the attack. Still, enough landed to render her useless and sent her careening onto the ground. The match was over. Neji had won. He went over to her, his vision starting to black out. He was utterly spent on this match.

"It's over … Hinata-sama … I have … defeated you…" He fell onto his knees, unable to support himself for longer. Why wouldn't the Proctor hurry up and call the match already!?

"Congratulations … Neji-kun … you have … managed … to master another … head family jutsu …" Naruto jumped down and ran toward Hinata.

"You did it, Hinata. You've brought down the Hyuga genius to his knees," Naruto whispered softly, smiling. Neji would have retaliated, but he no longer had the energy. Hinata smiled at Naruto, blood seeping from her open mouth.

"Thank … you … _Naruto-kun_." She only managed to words before energy deserted her body, so she only thought that last two words before blacking out.

"The winner is Neji Hyuga!" Gekko announced.

XXX

It was midnight. Naruto stood in the Konoha Forest. He was thinking. Things had been so fast paced recently. To think only six hours had passed before the final match of the Preliminaries. And now he had two months to train before the final stage. Hinata was in critical care at the Hospital, with all the best medic-nins available attending her 24/7. Neji had stabilised soon after reaching the Hospital, and the medics said he would be able to train within a week. Despite Hinata's growth, her father did not come to visit her. None of the Hyuga clan came, except Sanhana. Together, Naruto and Sanhana had stayed with Hinata until the medics had announced that she was out of the red zone. Naruto sighed. He had found that is heart was no longer in the world of the shinobi. Even his dream of becoming the Hokage had dimmed down. He had nearly lost someone precious to him. He had never had someone precious to him. Could he bare it if he lost someone else important to him? He did not know.

He summoned the Taijustu Aid Scroll, and then summoned the dragon armour. He also summoned the training post. He had to train. There was a lot of competition, among them Gaara, Neji, Temari and Sasuke. He had always required little sleep, so he decided to start right away. Yonbi-sama had given him a few scrolls to study for the finals, and he intended to master them in a month. He knew Kakashi-sensei would be too busy with Sasuke to help him, and Iruka-sense was busy teaching the Academy students. He was truly alone.


	13. Volume 1: Yonbisama and EroSennin

**Some of you said they want to see some more of Yonbi, so here he is. But I couldn't just abandon Jiraiya. I like him too much, and there is a lot he could teach Naruto. Therefore, this chapter might be dodgy, because I don't want Jiraiya and Yonbi to meet, because then things would be just plain difficult. And thanks for the increased reviews and input. Now I definitely know what the readers want. And for those of you who have watched the anime and the fillers, Naruto is wearing what Rock Lee was wearing, in the Raiga and Ranmaru arc, in terms of the metal sandal weights Enjoy.**

XXX

Naruto focused all of his chakra to his fullest potential, and then formed a hand seal. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu seal. Naruto slowly divided his chakra so that the Kage Bunshin had sixty percent of Naruto's chakra capacity, and Naruto himself only had forty percent. This was a technique he had learnt himself about the Kage Bunshin. After watching Zabuza fight Kakashi, and hearing Zabuza mention that his water clones were ninety percent weaker than the real Zabuza, he wondered whether or not he could do the same thing with his shadow clones. He had discovered he could, but it took a lot of concentration and time, two things that could not be spared during a battle. This was the reason why a shadow clone immediately took half of a person's chakra, because the user of the Kage Bunshin jutsu could not focus enough to control the exact amount of chakra used during the jutsu. This was also why the Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was created, or the Multiple Shadow Clone technique. It took half the user's chakra and divided it into all the shadow clones created, which was very useful in the fight and would conserve the user's chakra in the long run.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he said, and a clone appeared ten feet in front of him, with no puff of smoke or any sound. In the week he had been training, he had already managed to create his own unique jutsu that would help him. Normal shadow clones were too noticeable, too extravagant. Extravagance, in the shinobi world, got you nothing but a one way ticket to sic feet under. The shadow clone looked at him, waiting. Naruto knew what it was waiting for. Naruto wanted to fight himself, therefore testing out his own abilities and scrying out any weaknesses. This way, he could work on anything that did not flow perfectly, or if there was something that he could not fix, he would simply come up with a move or maneuver that would protect his blind spot. So far, Naruto had managed to perfect all his Leaf Blade taijutsu; all his Dance of the Waves taijutsu; and most of all, all of his Dragon's Hidden Claws taijutsu. From then on, he had used his shadow clones to analyze the time it took him to perform all his jutsu, and then tried to shorten that time. After all, speed was everything in the shinobi world. The ninja who drew his sword a second faster, or the ninja who threw his kunai just a millisecond earlier, automatically got his chances of winning the battle up to ninety percent. But after a week of constant training, Naruto was growing bored. When he was taught the three taijutsu, and all his ninjutsu and genjutsu, he had been expected the master them before moving onto the next, therefore there was now nothing for him to polish up on. And as his boredom grew, his buried thoughts started coming to the surface. He had not visited Hinata at all, concentrating on his training. He knew she would not even think she had been abandoned; after all, Naruto was in the finals with some very strong competition. He needed any training he could get. But in truth he was abandoning her, or more accurately, avoiding her. He still heard one of the medic's words to another medic ringing inside his head, words he had not been meant to hear.

"…_she has stabilized, but in the long run I don't think all her internal wounds will heal. None of us here are experienced enough to heal some of those blows she took to the heart and lungs. The damage is quite extensive. Poor girl …_"

He suddenly gritted his teeth. How dare they give up on her!? But as sudden as his anger had ignited, it dissipated. He was the only one to blame. He looked at the sky, his face troubled. How was Haku doing now? Had she finally found a second home, another purpose to her life? Was she happy? He could use her practical manner, and her superb healing abilities. If she had healed Zabuza after such a battle, she could surely help with Hinata. But she had another life now, another purpose. She deserved a second chance. He just hoped that she was happy. He looked back at his waiting Kage Bunshin.

"I don't feel like a little workout," he said, rolling his shoulders.

"Then what is your training plan?"

"Let us have one big battle, nothing barred. After all this intensive training, let us see what I am fully capable off using all the jutsu at my disposal."

The shadow clone frowned. "But you gave me sixty percent of your chakra," it protested. "You will be at a distinct disadvantage. At least reabsorb the extra ten percent so that we are equal."

Naruto shook his head. "I have to face that sooner or later I am going to meet someone better than me, and this is training for that. I have to be able to fight someone who has more chakra, more experience and better knowledge. This is as close as I can get, seeing as Iruka-sensei is busy at the Academy, preparing for the attack that might come from Otogakure, and Kakashi-sensei is training Sasuke." The shadow clone nodded and bowed, a bow which Naruto returned. Both Narutos faced each other, the shadow clone in the Dance of the Waves stance and Naruto in the Dragon's Hidden Claws stance.

Both of them moved with incredible speed, nearly as fast as Lee-senpai when he took his weights off. This was the benefit of training with the wooden man-post whilst wearing the dragon armour. The traded blows, from simple palm strikes to advanced techniques such as the **Storm Surge** – in which the shadow clone made three other Kage Bunshins, formed a semi circle around the enemy, and attacked by spinning through the air very fast, hitting the opponent with very heavy and very deadly palm strikes – and the **Dragon's Rising Wind** – in which Naruto ran between all four Kage Bunshins, two on each side of him, put his palms at his sides, concentrated chakra into each palm, pushed his palms forwards and outwards, and jumped in the same direction. The speed of the move created a vacuum in the air behind Naruto, a vacuum which was instantly filled in by the four Kage Bunshins, three of which disappeared in puffs of smoke. Naruto spun and twisted in the air, landing softly and facing the shadow clone he was fighting. The stood there in their respective taijutsu stances, not moving. So far the fight had only lasted half a minute. Suddenly the shadow clone brought its right hand up to its face in the half ram seal and did a very basic ninjutsu; **Explosive Tag: Activate**. The ground beneath Naruto was littered with explosive tags, which instantly ignited and blew a massive hole in the ground. Naruto was engulfed in smoke and dust. The shadow clone jumped back. It knew Naruto would only be injured by the move and would use the reduced visibility to his advantage. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Naruto covered in massive burns, his right arm useless. The shadow clone smiled. Its maneuver had not been detected, and as a result it was winning.

"Pride goeth before destruction," the shadow clone heard behind it. It turned round and saw an uninjured Naruto slowly rising out of the earth. The shadow clone Naruto had used the **Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu**, or the Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique, just after the tags had exploded and visually impaired the shadow clone, but before they could harm him, to sink into the ground and reappear behind the shadow clone. The shadow clone barely had time to perform a kawarimi to avoid the deadly kite that came at its neck, followed by a Sunshin to quickly escape Naruto, increase the distance between them and come up with a new strategy.

The fight raged on.

XXX

It was twilight. The sun was setting in the west, and a golden white glow illuminated the canopy of Konoha Forest. Naruto lay at the base of a large tree. He looked calm, exhausted, and deep in sleep. There were countless, half healed bruises and wounds on his body, and his clothes were dirty and torn beyond repair. Sarutobi looked at the boy, a mixture of sadness, pity, and pride in his eyes. He had done all he could to inconspicuously prepare Konoha for a war that may or may not come, so now he had turned his attention on the one person within the village that he had been neglecting; Naruto. He had watched the young blond train from dawn till dusk, momentarily stepping away to attend one matter or another. He was impressed with Naruto's growth. The blond was already a mater of his own unique taijutsu, Dragon's Hidden Claws. He also possessed quite a few ninjutsu and genjutsu, all of which he had mastered to perfection. He also knew when to use them, and his chakra control had improved considerably. Sarutobi looked at the Doragon Yoroi and frowned, but after a moment smiled again. Naruto was ready to deal with the dragon armour, if only a portion of its power. The boy used to be a goof-off, but his three sensei had turned him around in a complete one-eighty. The boy was definitely more mature. Sarutobi silently put a large scroll next to Naruto and walked away.

"Leaving without even saying hello, old man?" he heard a voice say behind him. He looked and saw to his surprise Naruto slowly rising.

"Deep meditation," Naruto explained. "I was taught that a warrior does not need sleep, but needs rest. This deep meditation keeps the warrior aware of their surroundings, but also slows down the body's processes to a deeper extent than sleeping, which allows the body to regenerate faster and the warrior to only require four hours of rest per day."

"Is that how you seem to be training every time I look in on you?" Sarutobi asked in awe. It was true. In the week since the Preliminaries, every time Sarutobi used his Telescopic jutsu, Naruto was wide awake and training. Naruto nodded.

"I've got nothing else to do," he said simply. He took the scroll left by Sarutobi at his side. "What's this?" he asked curiously. Sarutobi shrugged.

"I thought an early thirteenth birthday present was in order. The scroll lists a couple of jutsu from each element I thought would come in useful in the final exam. It also lists a few exercises that you could try out to increase your strength and speed. Since you are such a stamina adept, they will help you greatly convert all that raw energy into battle power. Also, the day before the exam, it has instructions on a summon I want you to perform. A final present from me." Naruto looked at the old man in gratitude, at a loss for words. The old man actually remembered his birthday, even though the presents were a little early, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Who ever complained about early presents?

"Thank you, Sarutobi-sama," Naruto said formally, the simple words all he could manage. Sarutobi smiled at the boy and shrugged noncommittally.

"Tell me, for I am curious. How have you been training? What is your schedule?"

"Well," Naruto began, "I start in the at four o'clock in the morning by putting on my chakra weights, which increases my stamina in the long run. I sprint around Konoha five times at my full speed, and then attach four boulders to my limbs with chakra and sprint on the river around Konoha three times. After that I take a short rest, and then begin on my taijutsu. Each day I use a different method, such as the shadow clone or the training post. I train for four hours straight, and then take an hour break, resting. I then work on my chakra control, alongside my genjutsu. I sneaked some genin scrolls from the Academy Library, so I have managed to learn a few new genjutsu, but with the competition I have in the final exam, they won't be of any use. After that, I work on my ninjutsu. How jutsu work has always fascinated me, so I try to think up new ways to improve ninjutsu that already exist to make them more efficient and more deadly. I already have all the information on my competition, so after that I formulate and improve all my strategies on each opponent, in case I have to fight them. I have already created three new jutsu to that effect, although two of them were rip-offs of Hinata's jutsu." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Sarutobi just looked at him with an open mouth. This boy very much reminded him of another blond haired youth who had always been fascinated with jutsu and had tried to formulate new ones.

"Wow," Sarutobi said after a pause. "You're really keeping busy. Why don't you find someone to help you train. I would, but … you know, impending war and all that." Sarutobi tried to make his statement light, to lift the boy's spirits, but it did not work. Naruto stood up and started stretching. He did not feel like resting anymore.

"They're all busy," he said shortly. The Sandaime sighed. Right now, Naruto felt abandoned and lonely, and after his feelings over the Hinata incident, he wasn't in the best of moods. Something in the boy had changed, that much was certain, but unfortunately he didn't have time to sit down with the boy. He suddenly got an idea.

"I know one person who isn't busy," the Sandaime said mischievously. Naruto looked at him with a curious face. "An old friend and student of mine," Sarutobi continued. "He is arriving in Konoha three weeks before the final exam. I will send him to help you train. Meet him at noon at Training Ground 64." Naruto looked at the Sandaime with gratitude in his eyes. While others were at this moment with their families in their big and warm houses, laughing and enjoying themselves, he was outside, by himself, training for something that had begun to slowly lose its appeal to him. But the Hokage here had taken time off his busy schedule and had come to Naruto, to spend time with him and show the boy he wasn't alone. Naruto saw the hope this seemingly old and frail men struck in the villagers, and the fear this man also struck in enemies. The Fire Shadow truly did illuminate the Village of Konoha. That was why he was going to become like this old man one day.

XXX

It had been two weeks since the end of the Preliminaries, and still Naruto trained on his own. But this time, his mind was clear and focused. After the Sandaime's visit, and after he had plucked up the courage to go and visit Hinata, his conscience no longer wore down on him. She was going to be alright. The medics had said so. It was a miracle. Most of her internal damage was healing naturally, and the medics were helping along with that as well. In a month or two she would be back on her feet and back to training.

"You look a sight more cheerful than the last time we met," Naruto heard a voice comment up in the foliage. He smiled.

"That is because, Yonbi-sama, I was under a lot of stress back then." Naruto plunged his kunai into the last shadow clone, expelling it in a puff of smoke.

"So, why are you still in Konoha, Yonbi-sama? I thought you were leaving."

"Well, I was," Yonbi said, landing in front of Naruto, "but then I thought of little lonesome you, training alone, and so I said to myself, "Can I leave this young man alone like this?" The answer was simple. "No!" And so here I am!" The old man did a little ta-da wave with his hands, which made Naruto smile broadly.

"You are by far the strangest shinobi I have ever seen," Naruto said, "barring maybe Old Man Hokage. I would appreciate any help you could give me."

"Are you sure," Yonbi asked. Naruto nodded. Yonbi's manner suddenly changed.

"I have got three weeks before I have to leave, so I am not going to waster another second of them. I already know about your taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu capabilities, and so we need to improve them. You may think you are good now, but there are enemies out there your age that are better than any jonin from this village. You need to be constantly improving, kid, or else you are just another piece of meat in the food chain. You need to get stronger to survive. Is that clear!?" Yonbi had been looking like a frail, happy old man a few seconds previously, but now looked like a wise, old and very powerful shinobi capable of anything and everything.

Naruto stomped to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir!" he shouted. Yonbi nodded.

"Strip," he order shortly, and Naruto complied silently. He stood in the cold in his boxers, but did not feel the cold. He had been in much colder climates. This was nothing. Yonbi handed him some black clothing, which turned out to be traditional shinobi clothing. It was a very thick and very heavy gi made out of wire mesh mixed with canvas material. Naruto put it on and found it quite tight and uncomfortable. He would have to wear it down until it was uncomfortable. Yonbi looked at the dragon armour that was among Naruto's clothing. He picked it up carefully, as if it might just turn and bite him any second.

"This is a very dangerous tool," he said calmly. "But the fact that you have it and can use it means it was meant for you. I do not think you are as of yet ready to learn about it, so I am going to ask you to never summon it again until I tell you otherwise. You need to first build up your physical, mental and spiritual energies and be able to combine them seamlessly before you are ready for the secrets of the Doragon Yoroi, am I understood?" Naruto hesitated before he nodded and dispelled the armour, sending it back into the Scroll from whence it came.

Next, Yonbi gave him some proper chakra weights. There were two metal bracelets that he wore on his wrists; there were two thick metal plates he tied onto his thighs; there were two thick metal plates he tied around his shins; there were two thick metal plates he tied onto his forearms and the back of his hands; and finally there were two metal sandals he wore instead of his normal shinobi sandals. With everything on, he barely thought he could move, but then he felt them get heavier, and saw Yonbi had the tiger seal held to his face. Slowly but surely, the weights got heavier, and Naruto now definitely knew he could not move.

"Don't stand there dawdling, Naruto. We have work to do. I find that being in a bustling place like Konoha disturbs my psyche. Let's go into the forest proper so that we won't be disturbed. There we can get some real training done." With that, Yonbi started walking away at a brisk pace, Naruto trailing behind, the distance between them increasing slowly. He wondered what he had gotten himself into.

XXX

Naruto slowly exhaled. Yonbi had been right. Because of his high stamina, his body adapted to the new conditions faster than anyone else's body could. It had only been three days, and already he barely felt the extra one hundred and twenty kilograms he carried on his body. But still, getting through all of Yonbi-sama's training was hard, very hard. Gone was Yonbi-sama's amused and happy attitude. In its place was a hard, strict and very impatient sensei who expected Naruto to get everything right the first time.

"Your two minutes of rest are up, Naruto-kun! Now attach those rocks to your body with your chakra again! Your chakra control still stinks all the way to Sunagakure. I don't want to see even a fleck fall off from those rocks, do you understand?" Naruto nodded and concentrated his chakra. Slowly, the thick, small, flat rocks around him started floating and attached to his legs, arms, chest, and back. Naruto then stepped onto the surface of the river. He immediately sank down to his knees before he pushed enough chakra to keep him on the surface. Slowly he managed to raise his legs out of the water until he was standing on it.

"Good," Yonbi said landing twenty metres in front of him. "That was a lot quicker than the last time, but it's still not good enough. Everything needs to be instant, or else you are done for. Now, I am going to push huge logs in your direction. To stop them hitting you, you need to focus your chakra into the water, and then either create small whirlpools to guide the logs out of your path, or else you need to sharpen the water into blade and cut the blades out of your path. Understood? Good, let us begin." Naruto watched in trepidation as four huge logs headed downstream toward him. This was going to prove difficult. And he still had eighteen days of training with his delightful sensei Yonbi-sama.

XXX

Dosu approached Gaara as silently as he could. He had to eliminate all competition so that he could fight Sasuke. This was Orochimaru-sama's will. Sasuke had to be tested to see if he was worthy. Gaara gave no indication he had noticed Dosu advancing, and Dosu smirked. This was going to be child's play. He quickly charged his weapon with chakra and launched himself soundlessly at Gaara, which wasn't hard considering he came from a Village that was based on sound energies. He came in from behind Gaara so that he would cast no reflection and would minimize the chances of him being detected. But Gaara, like himself, was a very good shinobi, and all good shinobi had a sense for trouble, and so Dosu wasn't surprised when he saw Gaara turn toward him. The Sand shinobi had sensed an attack coming toward him and had turned to the most likely place the attack would originate from. Dosu swung his right arm and released his attack. His fist was stopped by a wall of sand, but his sound attack would travel through the sand and attack Gaara's senses. Perfect.

Dosu jumped back as the sand wall slowly dissipated. He stared in shock at an unharmed Gaara, unless the utter boredom in the shinobi's eyes could be counted as harm.

"How…?" Dosu whispered. "Your ears should be bleeding and your balance affected," he whined. Gaara just looked at him, and then back at the moon he was gazing at. His posture had not changed.

"Get out of here," Gaara said in his usual monotone. "You are no match for Sunagakure's greatest weapon. Your petty attacks will not work. You are beneath me and I have no wish to kill such a weak shinobi." Dosu gritted his teeth in anger. He started gathering and focusing large amounts of chakra, especially on his two weapons. Gaara did not pay any notice, still looking at the moon.

"The moon is so beautiful here in Konohagakure," Gaara said to no one in particular. Dosu suddenly lost it and released an advanced version of his sound attack at Gaara. Because sound travelled through the air faster and quicker than in any other medium, Dosu simply enlarged his sound attack so that he could attack Gaara from distance without getting close to the sand shinobi and that dangerous sand of his.

"**Dai Kyōmeisen**!" Dosu shouted. The Giant Vibrating Air Drill was nearly visible as it went toward Gaara. Against, the sand shield acted and stopped the attack, but sound can go through solid objects as well. Dosu grinned as he imagined an injured and half dead Gaara behind the sand shield. The sand shield slowly dissipated, and this time Dosu was seriously at a loss for words. Gaara was unharmed and looking even more bored than before. The sand shinobi looked at Dosu impassively.

"I had expected more from an Oto ninja," Gaara said. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared a second later standing twenty feet from Dosu. "I told you to go away but you would not listen. Now you will at least provide me with some entertainment before the final exam." With that, Gaara's sand moved with blinding speed and wrapped around Dosu's arm. Gaara smiled for the first time since his fight with that Konoha taijutsu expert, Rock Lee. It wasn't a smile anyone would want to see. It was animal, wild, and blood-thirsty. "**Desert Funeral**," Gaara said. Dosu screamed as his arms were crushed into nothing but meat paste.

"But how?" Dosu croaked on his knees, his pain so intense it had rendered him paralyzed. Gaara's smile wasn't helping either. Dosu had never met anyone who loved killing so much.

"Its true sound can travel practically through anything, but it depends on this density of the material the sound travels through. I found this out when you fought the fat Konoha shinobi. Your attack would have normally half killed a person, but because you had to make your sound travel through denser material, water and blood, and not through air, you attack only knocked the shinobi unconscious. I changed the density of my sand so that your attacks would merely bounce off the sand shield and not penetrate. You underestimated me, Dosu, and I do not handle belittlement very well."

Gaara next covered Dosu's legs and used his **Sabaku Soso** on them. Dosu screamed harder, if that was possible. Gaara would work on Dosu for six hours straight, slowly crushing Dosu piece by piece, enjoying every moment of it. The beast within him would be sated, its hunger for blood and pain assuaged. It would be dawn before Dosu screamed his last breath and passed into the next world, leaving a once again impassive Gaara no Sabaku.

XXX

Naruto watched Yonbi-sama, breathing heavily. They had been fighting for three hours straight now. Yonbi, despite his age, still looked as if he was out for a light morning stroll. He was not breathing heavily, and he barely had any bruises on his body. Naruto, on the other hand, had several gashes and burn marks on his clothes. Even though Naruto was going all out on Yonbi-sama, he knew that his sensei was holding back severely in this fight. After three weeks of intensive training, this was the last time Yonbi and Naruto would train. Yonbi had to leave for the Hidden Cloud Village. Why, he would not tell Naruto, but he said he would be back as soon as he could to train Naruto, if Naruto wanted his help training. That was the one moment the tense and strict air of the past three weeks was broken and Naruto smiled at Yonbi, telling him not to be stupid. Of course he would want his help. Already, because of Yonbi-sama's help, Naruto had managed to master all the jutsu in the scroll Sarutobi had given the young blond, and that was saying something. Mastering twelve jutsu was beyond most genin and chunin, and certainly beyond Naruto's slow and decisive method, but Yonbi had proven himself a master sensei. He carefully explained how each jutsu works. He seemed to understand Naruto's fascination of how jutsu work on a physical, biological and chemical level, which made jutsu far easier to understand for Naruto, and he learned them at a faster rate. With his intensive chakra control exercises, mastering the jutsu barely took more than a few hours for Naruto. He was definitely much stronger.

Naruto took deep breaths and calmed down his body. He knew the layout of this terrain. He knew what Yonbi-sama would be capable off during this battle. He knew the extent of his own abilities. That was enough. All he needed was the right plan to win this battle. He relaxed his body so that his mind could work better. Then he went into the meditative state Jin-sensei and Taita-sensei had taught him, the one where he went deep into himself so he could think clearly while he remained aware of his surroundings. He needed to use deception and speed to trick Yonbi, and then launch a trap to defeat the old man. Yonbi was no normal shinobi, so Naruto would have to be extra careful.

Naruto stood up and stretched. He had a feeling this would take a while, even with his numerous plans to counter anything Yonbi might throw at him. He created a Kage Bunshin, which puffed into existence between Naruto and Yonbi and immediately started running toward Yonbi. Yonbi destroyed it easily, as he knew he would. This was nothing but a distraction. He jumped into the air to get a better vantage point of Naruto. He saw the blond was smiling, and a moment later he knew why. Naruto had used the visual impairment of his Kage Bunshin to create four silent shadow clones, and he had anticipated that Yonbi would take to the air for safety. Now all five Narutos threw shuriken at Yonbi. Then they formed several hand seals and shouted together, "**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" the twenty shuriken heading for Yonbi suddenly multiplied into one hundred shuriken. Yonbi knew he could not escape them, so he performed a Sunshin to get out of trouble. However, it seemed Naruto had also anticipated this because Naruto suddenly appeared in front of Yonbi holding a wakizashi he had summoned using **Weapons Projectile**. Yonbi jumped away from the youth and used his own **Tobidugo** to summon a katana. He knew he would be at a disadvantage using a longer bladed weapon at close quarters, but oh well, he would just have to do his best. The two traded blows at length, Naruto always sticking close to Yonbi like glue. He managed to get two cuts in, both superficial, but the fact that he had hurt Yonbi-sama boosted his confidence. In the moment Yonbi took a step back to gain more space, Naruto used his **Earth Clone Technique** in succession with his **Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu**. Yonbi slashed down at Naruto only to see Naruto turn into a puddle of mud. Yonbi smiled. Naruto had learnt to use his surroundings to his advantage.

Yonbi suddenly sidestepped and hit the Kage Bunshin that had been coming from behind him, making it disappear. Twenty shadow clones suddenly appeared around him, and he smiled. More diversions. He had to move faster than he normally did to destroy most of them. He had been aware of Naruto slowly rising out of the ground to his left and forming familiar hand seals. He stopped his attack of the shadow clones and started running toward Naruto, but he was too late.

"**Doton: Doryū Taiga!**" Naruto shouted. Earth Release: Earth Flow River. The ground beneath Yonbi turned to mud and started flowing backwards, tripping Yonbi. He fell into the mud river, but the attack wasn't over. Next Naruto inhaled until his lungs could expand no more, formed the hand seals for the **Katon: Kasumi Enbu no Jutsu**, the Fire Release: Covering Mist Technique, and then breathed out a fine, mist like, gas that covered the mud river and Yonbi-sama. Finally, Naruto threw an Exploding Tag and activated it. An explosion of intense fire sounded throughout the forest. Naruto had to shield himself from the heat and light of the combined attack, and when it was over, he looked in time to see a burnt Yonbi running straight toward him, yelling, "That hurt!" Yonbi hit Naruto with a palm strike, which sent the boy several feet back. Yonbi straightened himself as the remaining shadow clones puffed out of existence, but Yonbi was immediately on guard when the Naruto he had hit puffed out of existence as well. The kid had gotten better with his Kage Bunshins, a lot better. But however, this was too late to react. Behind him he heard the shout, "**Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!**". The Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique came from behind and above Yonbi, and it was a little different from a normal Ryūka. For one thing it was much longer and an intense blue instead of a burning yellow. This was because Naruto had got rid of the carbon dioxide and water that were a result of complete combustion and turned them to pure fire, adding to the power of the attack. And because the jutsu was more powerful, it did not need a wire to guide its path. Also, Naruto had gotten rid of the yellow light of a normal fire and turned it into more energy, making the flame purer, which was why it was blue in colour, because blue flames burn hotter than yellow flames.

Yonbi was hit by half the attack before he could perform the Sunshin and get out of the jutsu's range. He appeared on the river, breathing heavily. The boy had been smart. He had secluded Yonbi and then used a fire jutsu that would suck up all the oxygen surrounding Yonbi, thereby burning Yonbi on the outside and on the inside as well, in his lungs. Naruto landed on the shore of the river, breathing heavily. After more than three hours of trying to defeat Yonbi, his body was starting to feel the drain on his stamina and chakra reserves. It didn't help that he was still wearing his chakra weights, but now he was wearing them on the inside of his clothes instead of the outside, apart from the sandals. Yonbi looked at Naruto appraisingly. The boy had come far.

Naruto formed several hand seals and jumped onto the river. "**Suiton: Kaihodan!**" Naruto shouted. The Water Release: Pressure Cannon formed between Naruto and Yonbi. A small whirlpool formed, which slowly enlarged until it was giant vortex of spinning water. Yonbi jumped away, out of the range of the water attack. Naruto kept the water spinning faster and faster and did not attack.

_A trap_, thought Yonbi before he felt the piercing pain of a kunai in his back. He turned round and saw a Kage Bunshin coming at him at full speed. He defended himself from its punches and kicks, but he could not get away and was slowly being pushed back into the range of the water jutsu. He sacrificed getting hit with a very heavy and powerful palm strike to get in a hit that dispelled the Kage Bunshin. But that too, had been a diversion. Behind him, because he was on a large water body, Naruto had been slowly moving forward so that Yonbi was in range. With a yell, he released the pent up attack at full force. The jet stream of water hit Yonbi full force, and this time he couldn't escape. But Naruto wasn't finished. He was not going to get another chance like this. He formed hand seals and the water around him started to spiral. He jumped into the air and the water followed him, spiraling around him. He spun very fast in the air until the water was like a hurricane around him, no part of his body visible except from above. He then dropped diagonally toward Yonbi, who was just shaking off the effects of the Pressure Cannon. Naruto landed ten feet in front of Yonbi and started spinning the water around his body like a lasso, except nothing connected Naruto and the spiraling water. It looked like it was floating around him. Naruto then thrust forward both his palms and yelled, "**Futon: Suiton: Kaihodan!**" The Pressure Cannon was layered with a sharp layer of cutting wind that slammed into Yonbi at point blank range. Yonbi let out a painful grunt as he was hurled back onto dry land and slammed into a tree. Naruto's chakra control was definitely better. That layer of wind had been more powerful than when Naruto had first learnt the jutsu from Yonbi.

Naruto landed in front of Yonbi, too tired to move in for the kill. His chakra was almost down to zero. But he still had an ace up his sleeve. Yonbi got up and attacked Naruto with simple taijutsu. He was still healing from the consecutive attacks Naruto had dealt him and his chakra control was very poor as a result. He would need a few more seconds, even a minute, before he was back to normal. The kid was surprising. He had managed to injure an S-class shinobi this much, something to be proud of. Yonbi gave Naruto a palm strike to the chest, and sent Naruto back five feet. Naruto spat up blood and groaned. Yonbi walked next to Naruto, smiling.

"You tried your best, kid," he said. He suddenly felt the cold, sharp metal of a kunai of his neck, and his smile broadened. The boy had grown. The Naruto below his turned to mud and mixed with the ground.

"And you underestimated me, Yonbi-sama," Naruto said. Yonbi raised his hands.

"You win," he said.

XXX

Naruto walked through Konoha, not making a sound. The art of silence had been imparted unto him by each one of his teachers. It was a key fact in shinobi survival. As he was making his way toward the forest to continue with his training, he heard some giggles. He frowned. Something wasn't right about that. He followed the sound to a late night bathhouse he knew Kurenai and other kunoichi frequented to relax themselves after a hard day's work. He entered the bathhouse without waking the sleeping attendant and followed the giggles into the enclosed yard that held the springs. Naruto wondered how the others couldn't hear the giggles, but then saw they were all sleeping. The triple shifts the Hokage had ordered were wearing everyone out. Naruto looked for the source of the giggles and saw a grey haired old man peeping at the kunoichi whilst writing down something. Naruto smiled. He formed several hand seals and hit the ground with his right hand to channel his chakra better. After all, he didn't want to accidentally hurt the kunoichi. The **Doton: Doryū Taiga** created a mud river below the pervert's feet, and before the old man could react, he was rolling down toward the hot springs. The pervert fell into the hot springs with a splash, waking ten cranky kunoichi. Naruto smiled. He left the pervert to his fate.

XXX

Naruto jumped down onto the soft ground at exactly noon. He was slightly out of breath because he had been training all morning. No one was in the Training Area, so he sat down to wait. It was fifteen minutes before he felt someone approach.

"You're late," he said crankily. A lot of training could be done in fifteen minutes.

"Don't talk to your elders like that kid," he heard an old guy's voice say. Naruto slowly stood.

"Forgive me, Jiraiya-sama," Naruto said getting up and turning round to face his new sensei. "I should not speak to one of the Sannin like this. It's only that I am anxious to get as much training as I – AAHHH! It's you!"

Jiraiya looked at the kid with confused eyes, but then his eyes slowly widened. He has seen a flash of blond hair last night while he was researching. "Why you traitorous little bastard!" Jiraiya screamed. "You interrupted my research!"

Naruto huffed and started to walk away. "Being a pervert is not research. And I'm going to ask what old man Hokage thought he was doing, sending me a pervert for a teacher."

"Stop calling me a pervert!" Jiraiya screamed as he jumped and landed in front of Naruto. "That was just some innocent research. Call me a pervert one more time and I will –"

"Do what, exactly?" Naruto asked slyly. "Huh? What will you do, _ero-sennin_? I wonder what people in Konoha will do when they learn the great Jiraiya is a great pervert?" Naruto looked at his fingernails innocently. Jiraiya grumbled.

"No respect, today's brats," he complained. "Alright then, let's get going. You got some training to do, kiddo, and I got some research to get on with. Let's go!"

XXX

**Longest chapter yet. Hoped you liked it. I think I'm gonna skip Naruto's training with Jiraiya because he's not gonna learn anything new apart from summoning Toads. I'm just gonna skip to the Final Exams. Hope you like it!**


	14. Volume 1: The Third Great Beast

"One more bowl please, Ayame-chan!" Naruto shouted, "And one for Hinata-chan!" Hinata smiled nervously and shook her head slightly, waving her hands. She didn't think she could smell another bowl of ramen, let alone eat it. She didn't know how Naruto could keep on going like that, as if his stomach was one bottomless pit. Naruto shrugged at her refusal of another bowl, took if from her and dug into it himself, gorging himself on some rather tasty chicken ramen. It took him a few minutes, and then he dug into his own bowl. Hinata wondered how someone could eat six bowl of ramen _for breakfast_ and not be sick, but then again this was Naruto, the number one most unpredictable ninja. Hinata looked at Naruto for the first time in over a month. He had only come to visit her once, and then had disappeared until this morning. Neither blond hair nor blue eyes had been spotted within Konoha, not that anyone was looking, which saddened her. All the Rookie Nine were either busy training – like Shikamaru or Sasuke, who had made it to the Finals – or were otherwise resting and relaxing from the strain the Chunin Exam had caused them. She was happy to find out Sakura and Naruto were back to good terms with each other. Sakura had accepted that Naruto was simply under a lot of stress with the exams had had forgiven his rather … brutish behaviour. It had taken all of Hinata's persuasive powers to convince Naruto to make up with Sakura. Naruto said he could not be bothered with idiots, but he had realized Hinata was right. Sakura and he were teammates, and therefore needed to be on good terms to work well together. Still, that had not improved their relationship, but it was a start. Hinata knew what lay underneath Naruto's strange behaviour, even though he would never admit it. After all this time spent killing most of his emotions which allowed the villagers to hurt him, Naruto still liked Sakura. A lot. Seeing her working herself up over Sasuke and ignoring him was slowly frustrating him to madness. He had tried everything – from being nice to even buying her a gift, but she was forever ignorant. Hinata looked at Naruto with a depressed expression. Why did boys always have to go after the wrong girls? Her respect and admiration for Naruto had deepened, even though now she never showed it. Sanhana had beaten Hinata's shyness and stammer syndrome out of her, literally. Despite the old man's age, his fighting skills had not dulled once. Hinata looked at Naruto, who now looked more like the Fourth than ever. Was she the only one who had noticed? His hair was exactly like the Fourth's, with the forehead protector keeping the unruly locks out of Naruto's eyes. Naruto now wore a black outfit, similar to what Kakashi wore. He even had a black jonin vest on and fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back of the hand, though this only made him look more like the Fourth than like Kakashi. He also now wore a dark green robe with a hood, the only thing he had bought himself. The rest of his clothes had been sealed within the scroll Sarutobi had given him. Hinata couldn't help but sigh. He looked like a hero, the hero he idolized.

Naruto looked sideways at Hinata. She was definitely better. She hadn't healed one hundred percent, but at least she was allowed to train. She had begun working on her Tai Chi and Jyuken form with Sanhana. The old man was an excellent teacher for Hinata; he was firm and strict, but also gentle at the same time. Who wouldn't be to their own granddaughter? Naruto had learned a thing or two from Sanhana, the most important being that when practicing and learning taijutsu; you learnt the moves better when doing them slowly and in an exaggerated fashion. They stuck into muscle memory faster and firmer that way. Naruto smiled.

"Ah shucks, stop it Hinata-chan. You're making me blush," Naruto said playfully. Hinata smiled.

"I can't help myself, Naruto-kun," she said teasingly. "You're looking good," she said honestly. For a moment, both genin looked at each other, all pretences gone. They looked deep into each other's eyes, practically gazing into each other's souls. Naruto was the first to turn away. He looked down at his empty bowl, deep in thought, and then up at Ayame-chan. He gave her a small, sad, smile and handed her some money.

"Thanks for opening up earlier than usual, Ayame-chan. I needed that little wake-me-up."

"No problem, Naruto-san," Ayame said. "Dad always said you are our number one customer."

"I bet he wasn't happy when he had to wake up at six in the morning to cook though," Naruto chuckled softly. Ayame joined him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh no, he wasn't, but it will rain gods before he says no to me," she said. "Besides, he was used to all kinds of waking hours when he was in ANBU. Two years later and he doesn't wake up before ten. Ridiculous!" Naruto laughed as he stood up and walked away.

"Tell him I said hi," Naruto said over his shoulder. "And Hinata-chan?" Naruto said. Hinata looked at Naruto. "Come watch me beat up all those guys at the Finals, especially Neji, alright?" Hinata smiled and nodded. Naruto walked off.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan," Ayame said consolingly. She gave Hinata a cup of coffee. "He'll come around."

Hinata sipped her coffee and stared into space. "He still isn't over Sakura, Ayame-chan, and I don't think he ever will be. But all a girl can do is hope, I suppose."

XXX

The stadium was packed. Over a hundred thousand people were in the stands, from poor peasants of the Fire Country to rich little lords from Wave, Water and Cloud country. All the final contestants were waiting in one single room. The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The only two people who seemed totally at ease were Naruto and Gaara. Gaara was sitting by the window sill, looking out at the sun in the clear blue sky. Naruto was standing next to him, much to Temari and Kankuro's disbelief. Gaara did not socialize, and anyone would be a fool to try. The two were having a silent conversation, which seemed to be interspersed with long breaks. First one would speak, and then there would be a two minute pause before the other replied. It was strange to watch, to say the least. Shikamaru was looking at the competition, and his prospects of defeating any of them were low, very low. But he hadn't been idle for the past two months. He had watched every one of these people fight. He knew their strengths and weaknesses. He could formulate plans on how to beat them easily. Also, with Lee in hospital, Tenten not in the finals and Neji training in a branch family Hyuga compound, Shikamaru had reluctantly asked for help increasing his chakra capacity from Gai-sensei by training physically. That man was a slave driver, and what as worse, he didn't realize it. At least with slavers you knew where you stood. This guy just kept you going and going for no particular reason until you dropped unconscious from exhaustion, literally. Shino was another who looked calm, but then again, no one knew Shino well enough to judge him. The whole having millions of chakra sucking bugs living inside him was a little scary to anyone.

"Alright then," the genin heard a voice say, and they turned to find a chunin with a senbon in his mouth. "Meet me at the bottom of the arena in five minutes." With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shikamaru shook his head as he slowly got up.

"Do they always have to be so dramatic about everything? … So troublesome…" Temari looked at the tall, lazy chunin with a sneer.

"How did a lazy-ass like you even make genin? I hope I get to fight you. I'm going to show you what a real shinobi acts like."

Shikamaru waved a hand as he walked out of the room. "Whatever," he said. "This whole thing is a drag anyways. The only reason I even came was because Asuma-sensei threatened me with twenty laps around Konoha every day for a months. This was the less troublesome choice."

Temari gritted her teeth at his nonchalant behaviour. She was going to enjoy bringing him to heel.

XXX

Sakura sat next to Ino, looking down at the arena. Everyone was there, including a hooded figure she presumed to be Naruto, but no Sasuke. Where was he? She hadn't seen or heard from him since his match with Yoroi Akado. Was he alright? She had gone looking for him, but he had just vanished, along with Kakashi-sensei. He hoped they wouldn't be late for the Finals, or else Sasuke might be disqualified!

"Stop worrying about Sasuke," a voice to her left said. Sakura looked over at her one time friend, Ino Yamanaka. She gritted her teeth.

"What would you know about it, Ino Pig!?" She automatically shouted. After eight years, the rivalry still went on.

"Oh, shut up, forehead girl!" Ino screamed, but then, with an amazing display of self control, Ino calmed down and looked back toward the arena. "You have more than one teammate, Sakura. How do you think Naruto's going to do?" Sakura was surprised by the change of subject, but welcomed it. The two got on perfectly, as long as Sasuke wasn't involved.

"I don't know," Sakura said after a short pause. "Alright, I guess. He'd kind of strong, but this is some heavy competition he's facing." A look flashed across Ino's face, but it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. Ino faced the arena, not answering.

"Alright!?" a shout said from behind the two. "He's gonna do more than alright." They both turned and saw Kiba and Choji coming to join them. Ino looked at Choji, who was busy stuffing his face, as usual.

"You are going to hospitalize yourself again at that rate, Choji," Ino reprimanded the boy. Choji just shrugged and continued eating, though he lost all the extra vigor he had been shoving chips into his mouth with.

"What make you say that, Kiba-kun," Sakura said. Kiba shrugged.

"A feeling, I guess. He's no longer the dead last we all knew, that's for sure. He's much stronger. He managed to bring me down with just a Kage Bunshin, after all, and I don't go down that easily. He knows some crazy jutsu as well, and he knows how to use them. I know I wouldn't want to fight him again, at least no until I got a lot stronger."

"Yeah, he's certainly changed…" Ino commented. She seemed more subdued than usual. What was wrong with her lately? Sakura shrugged these thoughts off.

"Yeah, he maybe strong, but look at the competition. That Gaara is the likely winner I think, or else Neji-san or Sasuke-kun. This competition is filled with geniuses, so Naruto's chances are down to dead last." Sakura didn't know why she was putting Naruto down like this. Ever since that encounter at the Preliminaries, she had been wary of him. That animalistic look in his eyes had nearly made her wet herself. When she had mentioned this to her mother, and how they had made up, her mother had looked at her with worried eyes, like she wanted to say something but couldn't. She had finally just said: "_keep away from that boy, Sakura. He's nothing but trouble. He's dangerous, trust me on this._" Sakura had been more afraid then, but she remembered what Kakashi-sensei had taught them. Never abandon a comrade, or you're worse than trash. She barely paid attention as Gai and Lee-kun joined them. Naruto's healing scroll had healed most of the damage to Lee-kun's body while the damage was still fresh, so Lee's chances of full recovery were very high. He just needed regular treatment and he would be fine. All of the turned to watch as the new Proctor told everyone which genin would fight whom. Temari would fight Shikamaru, Kankuro would fight Shino, Gaara would fight Sasuke, and finally, the first match, Neji would fight Naruto.

XXX

Naruto faced off against Neji. He knew this match wasn't going to be easy, no matter how strong he had gotten. He had a game plan, which would help considerably. Neji was a close combat fighter, so all Naruto had to do was use mid and long-range attacks. That Byakugan would prove troublesome, but he had no way of working past that, just like he had no way of fighting Sasuke's Sharingan. Some things were just too troublesome.

Neji smirked. "I see the loser has made it to the finals. Do not get overconfident just because you managed to defeat some mutt. I am way out of your league, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto ignored the incessant talking and instead looked over his plan for fighting Neji. He had decided to wear his hood, so no one in the stadium knew what he looked like. He liked to think that he was invisible to the eyes of the villagers who would scowl the moment they say the whisker marks on his cheeks. How surprised would they be when they saw the face of the person who has defeated the Hyuga genius? How angry would they be? In the time he had been back, Naruto had not spent much time in the village, so the majority of the village was still unaware that he was back. Hearing that he was back and seeing him back were two completely different things. Naruto slowly turned round, surveying the crowd – and also inconspicuously surveying the terrain – and then came back round to face Neji. Neji's smirk had disappeared.

"You still have time to back out, dropout. This is a serious competition, and the crowd does not need their time wasted." Naruto frowned, but with his hood on, Neji didn't see.

"Neji," Naruto said. Neji looked at Naruto. "I'm going to defeat you, Neji." Neji shook his head and stood in his Jyuken stance while Naruto simple stood there, his status as the shortest genin clearly apparent.

"You had your chance to back out, dropout," Neji said.

"So did you," Naruto said.

"Begin!" Genma shouted.

XXX

In the stands, Sakura and the other rookies watched as the tension mounted in the arena. The match had already begun, but neither opponent moved. Neji adjusted his stance for a second, but that was the only movement for a full minute.

_The Gods help us_, Genma thought. _When are they going to start fighting?_ "Er, guys?" Genma said out loud. "I said you can start." The two ignored him. The stadium slowly fell into a hush until all was silent.

"What the hell is Naruto playing at?" Sakura said out loud. She heard Gai stir behind her, and looked up at him. He had a shocked expression on his face. "Do you know?" she asked. Gai nodded slowly, and to his left, Lee nodded also.

"When fighting, there are two types of Jin created. Positive Jin is created when you attack the opponent. Negative Jin is created when you defend yourself from the opponent," Lee said slowly, his eyes not leaving the arena.

"True," Gai said, also not taking his eyes off the contestants. "But there is a third Jin, called the Neutral Jin. It is created when you do … absolutely nothing." Sakura blinked.

"Nothing? But how is that possible. I don't understand the concept of Jin, but if you do nothing, won't you be defeated when the opponent attacks? So won't Neji be defeated?"

"Yes and no," Lee said. "You see, despite all appearances, Neji fights using Negative Jin. That's his specialty. He defends himself while learning all his opponents skills and how to counter them, and then uses Positive Jin to attack quickly and defeat his opponent. Neutral Jin allows the user not to attack of defend, but simply react. When attacked, you defend. The user of Neutral Jin only attacks when the situation allows, after gathering information on the opponent, which will allow the user to decisively finish a match. Gai-sensei and I are Positive Jin users, and so is Sasuke-kun. But Naruto-kun there is a Neutral Jin user, which means we are only going to see the full extent of his abilities, his attacking abilities, when he judges he has learnt enough about Neji's abilities."

"Alright Lee!" Gai shouted, smiling, striking his nice guy pose. "I knew I made the right decision when I chose you as my student. Brains _and_ brawn! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Lee smiled at Gai, his eyes watery. Another acknowledgement from Gai-sensei! Yes!

"Wow," Ino said. "Who knew Naruto was this advanced. We kind of pale in comparison, don't we?"

"Where did he learn all this though?" Sakura said in frustration. It seemed Naruto would always be a sticky thorn.

"There are only two people in existence that could have the patience and knowledge to teach Naruto like that," Gai said, serious again, "And I'm one of them. Now I see why he calls Lee senpai."

"Who's the other one?" Kiba asked. Even he had managed to hush down from his usual volume. This match was the beginning of the final stage of the Chunin Exams, after all.

"The other one? Well, that would be … my sensei … the great samurai … Jin." Lee looked up at Gai, surprised.

"That explains why he was so good at taijutsu when I fought him," Lee mused. "He might even be the Third Great Beast of Konoha!" A troubled look came over Lee's face. "But I thought Jin-sensei was dead?" he said.

"So did I," Gai said, for once sounding totally subdued.

XXX

Neji attacked first. He ran toward Naruto in a blur of speed and started attacking Naruto's tenketsu. But Naruto proved to be too fast to be caught up close like that. He dodged each one of Neji's thrusts, moving fluidly out of the way and out of range of Neji's Jyuken. But Neji stuck close to Naruto, not allowing the blond a moment of rest. For a minute he kept up the attack before coming to the conclusion that the attack wasn't working. He had only been using half his usual speed, so maybe he needed to take this game up a notch.

"Well, well," Neji said. "It seems like you've improved. You're nearly as fast as Lee, but that won't get you anywhere. Lee was a taijutsu expert, and all that got him was a near death experience." Naruto stood straighter.

"Lee-senpai did his best, and that's all anyone can ask. He was fighting a mid to long range enemy, while he is a close combat type. He was at a disadvantage from the start, but he nearly won anyway. That should tell you something, Neji, but you are too blind to see, despite your Byakugan." Lines of anger appeared on Neji's face.

"These eyes of mine make everything clear to me. They told me the nature of the world. Fate rules us all, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that." Naruto shook his head, the only visible sign being the slightly shaking hood.

"Like I said; too blind to see." Neji ran at Naruto, his speed increased. This time, Naruto was working harder to come into contact with Neji. He jumped back. Neji was fast, very fast, and with his Byakugan, he could detect any attack coming at him. Naruto had spent enough time with Hinata training to know that the Byakugan had a limit to the radius it could see in all directions. The limits differed between people as their Byakugan advanced. He needed to find Neji's limit and then use that against him. He brought his fingers to his face.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**," he said. Shadow clones appeared around Neji in a spiral that slowly widened. The closest one threw a kunai, which Neji dodged, and then with increasing rapidity, every shadow clone threw a kunai at Neji, which he dodged, letting the kunai hit the Naruto shadow clone who would be standing behind him. A few kunai had managed to graze him by the end of the spiral, and Naruto dispelled the jutsu. He had managed to get Neji's range, which was surprisingly shorter than Hinata's.

"Did you know that Hinata's Byakugan has advanced beyond yours?" he asked. Neji gritted his teeth in anger and attacked Naruto, but Naruto quickly formed a few hand seals, the seals for **Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique**, and started sinking into the ground."

"That's new," Sakura commented. "Just how far has he come in two months?" She was starting to get worried. If he was still on the same level as Sasuke-kun, and something told her he was, then there would be tension between the two, dangerous tension.

Neji looked around. Naruto had moved far below ground, out of his range. Then he saw Naruto coming up from behind him, twenty metres behind. He smiled. The dropout had underestimated him. He turned round and threw some shuriken at the half emerged Naruto, but Naruto blocked them with a kunai. He fully emerged from the ground and formed a seal, the shadow clone seal. Two shadow clones attacked Neji with kunai. Neji sidestepped the first clone, took the kunai from the clone and stabbed it in the neck. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. Neji crouched down, avoiding the next clone's attack, and thrust his left palm backwards, hitting the clone in the heart with a Jyuken chakra thrust and dispelling it.

"That attack is really getting old," Neji commented as he attacked with a kunai, not giving Naruto time to summon any more shadow clones. The two started trading blows at high speed. Neji couldn't help but admire Naruto, even though he loathed this boy. The idiot really had come far. He was nearly as fast as Lee without his weights, and that was saying something. On top of that, he had sharp eyes, which meant he could see all of Neji's attacks coming. The two fought long and fast until Naruto disengaged and jumped back twenty metres, spinning in the air before landing. Naruto threw the kunai he had been holding, but Neji dodged it, throwing his own kunai, which Naruto sidestepped.

_That's too basic. He knows by now these simple attacks won't work … a trap!_ Neji jumped to his left in time to dodge a barrage of kunai. _How come I didn't see those coming? He can't have calculated my range already, I thought he was joking … of course, that first shadow clone attack. The spiral formation going outwards. He was calculating which ones I would have trouble dodging, and guessed my range from then._ But it wasn't over. Just as soon as Neji landed, he tripped a wire and another barrage of kunai and shuriken cam at him, which he was only able to detect due to the large amount of noise ten plus sharp weapons made when travelling through the air. This continued for a few more seconds, in which Neji realized that Naruto might have possible rigged the entire arena. He needed to stop running and have time to analyze the land, or sooner or later one of those traps would hit home. Neji jumped into the sky, pushing off with chakra to add speed and power to his escape of a **Barrier Encampment Jutsu**, and that's when he finally saw the extent of the traps Naruto had set. They were all over the arena, just out of his fifty metre range. He cursed. Naruto was proving to be a problem. But his troubles weren't over yet. Naruto, standing on the ground, smiled within his hood. He performed the **Taju Kage Bunshin Jutsu** and instantly twelve shadow clones appeared in key points around Neji, who was still in the air. They threw shuriken at Neji and formed quick hand seals and shouted as one, "**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Suddenly over a hundred shuriken were sailing toward Neji.

_The normal Heavenly Spin won't work here … I have no choice. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to get serious with this guy, but he gives me no choice …_ "**Hakkesho Dai Kaiten!**" Neji shouted while still in the air. He started spinning and a wall of blue chakra surrounded him. All the shuriken were deflected as Neji slowly got back onto the ground. As he slowed down, he plucked several shuriken from the air, Naruto's shadow shuriken and threw them at some of the shadow clones. He added his own shuriken to finish the job. But again he had been tricked. Naruto had wanted him to use his Heavenly Spin, and while he was busy concentrating on the jutsu he had just taught himself a few weeks beforehand, Naruto had thrown a loop of invisible wire at the wall of chakra, which had spun around Neji. Now Naruto tightened the wire by pulling it, and Neji lost all mobility as his arms and legs were locked straight. Naruto held the string and did four hand seals.

"**Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!**" he shouted. A wall of blue flame raced down the string toward Neji and engulfed the young Hyuga for a few seconds, but those were enough. The hot flames did quite a lot of damage before Neji got his mind off the pain, channeled chakra into the string to break it, and performed the Heavenly Spin to stop the attack. As he slowed down, he was breathing heavily. This Naruto was far more advanced that he had given his credit for, maybe even his level, which was an impossible thought to entertain. He was a Hyuga genius, and he wouldn't let some dropout beat him!

XXX

The Hokage watched the fight with interest. Naruto had mastered the jutsu he had given the boy, but what's more, he seemed to have improved them to a new level. Sarutobi's eyes watered as he remembered back sixteen years. Another blond haired boy had just improved a fire jutsu, much to the chagrin and distaste of a younger and hot blooded Fugaku Uchiha. This was the same jutsu Naruto had just performed. It seemed, even in death, the Yondaime and Naruto were connected.

_He truly is your Legacy, Fourth … that Katon was as powerful as an Uchiha Katon …_

Sarutobi watched closely as Naruto performed most of the jutsu Sarutobi had given the boy in quick succession, not giving young Neji enough time to dodge and counter-attack. The young Hyuga's body was now heavily bruised, and Neji was starting to waver on his feet.

_You've grown, Naruto, but can you finish this match…?_

XXX

Sakura and the rest f the rookies watched the match, literally on the edge of their seats.

"Your Naruto is more skilled than any of us thought, Sakura," they all heard a voice say from behind them. They turned to see Tenten, fully healed, apart from her injured pride, of course. The sand kunoichi, Temari, had defeated Tenten so easily it was embarrassing to even think about. "But this is now over for him. He has left Neji no choice but to get serious. He might die." Tenten came and sat behind Sakura. "He's lasted this long, so don't be too disappointed."

"That's where you're wrong, Tenten," another voice said. They saw Hinata, coming from one of the specially reserved booths, the one which belonged to the Hyuga. Behind her was an old man, but like the Hokage, he radiated an inner strength. Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"So, Sanhana," she said. "You are the one who has been training Hinata." The old man shrugged.

"An old man has to do something to pass the time. Neji left, so I took on a new student." Sanhana looked down at the arena. "Young Naruto is faring better than I expected, but then again, I haven't seen his growth for the past three months. He's come a long way."

"You trained Naruto?" Sakura asked. Sanhana shook his head. "I only train the Hyuga, as is the law," he said seriously.

"Then who did?" Sakura said, more to herself than anyone else. Hinata looked down at Sakura, and unconsciously she felt her Byakugan slowly activate. Why did this girl deserve Naruto and not her? She felt a gentle pressure on her shoulder, the pressure of Sanhana's hand, and she calmed down. She had nearly let jealousy overtake her, and that was not good for her well being. There were more important things to worry about than her own feelings.

"That is not my Naruto-kun at his fullest," Hinata said, facing the arena. The others looked at her, confused, but when she didn't explain, they simple looked back at the arena, just in time to see Naruto miscalculate and get within close range of Neji. Neji got into a familiar stance.

"**Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!**" Neji yelled. "Two strikes! Fours strikes! Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes! Sixty four strikes!" The stadium was in hush as Naruto was lifted off his feet with the last strike and his hood removed. Naruto landed with a thud, blood leaking from his open lips. He slowly stood up, his body protesting every movement. Neji smiled. Finally, he had shown the dropout not to try to defeat his destiny. Finally, this match was over.

"I warned you, dropout. Now you will not be able to use chakra for quite some time. This match is over." Naruto said nothing as he struggled with his body. He finally stood up straight and looked up at Neji. He was smiling.

"Before I finish this match, Neji, I would like you to answer me a question. What have you got against Hinata and the Main House of the Hyuga Clan?" Neji shook his head.

"Still fighting you fate to the last? Very well, since it's your deathbed wish, I shall comply. I shall tell you why I hate them so much.

XXX

Hinata looked down in shame as one of the Hyuga's closest guarded secret was revealed to the whole of Konoha, and many more. She was ashamed to be part of such a clan. She was ashamed of her father for enforcing these laws and not trying to change them. She was ashamed of herself for being too weak to try to do something about it. She was ashamed of her heritage as a Main House Hyuga. Neji had every right to be angry and to attack her like that. Naruto had other ideas.

"So," Naruto said. Neji didn't say anything. "That is your pathetic reason." Line of anger appeared around Neji's eyes. "That is the best you could come up with for trying to destroy a young girl who has done nothing to you. I had higher expectations of a Hyuga genius, but it seems the world if full of disappointments, eh, Neji?" Naruto smirked. Neji suddenly activated his Byakugan, his whole body trembling.

"How dare you!?" he shouted. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"How dare I what? Judge you? Like you judged Hinata based on her personality? You are the worst kind of shinobi, Neji; the kind that is gifted, but misuses those gifts. You are so set on revenge you do not see other's pain. Tell me, Neji, where exactly does Hinata trying to improve herself fit in with your whole revenge concept? Was she perhaps a measuring bar you used to show the Hyuga your strength, and in the process stick it to Hiashi-san? Show him the Main House was nothing but filled with weak shinobi? You were ready to kill a relative, someone who shares your blood, over something so trivial." Naruto shook his head. "You make me sick, Neji Hyuga, and I'm going to enjoy killing you." Naruto slowly removed his coat, revealing himself for the first time in two months. He crouched down, his tough, calm, exterior showing no signs of damage.

He attacked. He moved with blinding speed, despite the injuries dealt to his inner organs and chakra system. He would not need chakra for this. He was going to rip Neji piece from piece with his bare hands. Even with his Byakugan, Neji felt Naruto's fist a millimeter from his face as he jumped away.

_How can he still move?_ He thought in panic, _let alone that fast. He's now as fast as Lee without his weights!_ Neji caught a kunai that had been thrown as Naruto passed, and Neji threw his own, which Naruto caught as well, with ease. Both boys jumped into the air and attacked with the kunai, passing each other with a clang. Neji landed heavily, having to use the kunai to stop his momentum backward. Naruto did the same.

"How can you still move?" Neji asked, the beginnings of panic in his voice and eyes.

"Because I have to," Naruto replied. "Your pathetic excuses and your unforgivable actions are not worthy of a Konoha shinobi. Konoha stresses on camaraderie, and you have nothing but contempt for your fellow Nin. You do not deserve that hitai-ate you wear. I am going to remove it and burn it before I kill you." Naruto started running, slowly, toward Neji. "You are a taijutsu expert, correct? Well, let's see if you have what it takes to defeat the Third Great Beast of Konoha."

Neji smirked. "Ah, The Great Beasts of Konoha," he said contemptuously. "Nothing but self given titles to cover their own inadequacy. You cannot defeat me with taijutsu."

"We shall see," Naruto said. He suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Neji, his kunai a centimeter from the knot that kept Neji's forehead protector on. Neji moved his head out of the way and struck backward with a Jyuken palm thrust.

"Your Jyuken will do you no good, Neji," Naruto said, "because I don't need my chakra to perform taijutsu, and we both know you aren't good enough yet to kill me with one blow of a Jyuken hit. And don't think I'm going to give you the chance either." With that, Naruto attacked Neji, both boys moving so fast none of the genin or lower ranked people were able to see them. Even some of the chunin had trouble seeing the two boys. All that was heard was the occasional clang of kunai and shuriken repelling each other, but other than that, Naruto kept up his barrage, which seemed to be increasing in intensity.

_Damn it!_ Neji thought. _He's like Lee; his blows are getting heavier with each hit, and I'm in no condition to survive this for much longer. Damn you Uzumaki…_

Naruto jumped back, similar thoughts in his mind. Despite appearances, despite his words, he was tiring, fast. The hits he had taken to his tenketsu had severely depleted his stamina reserves. His body was crying out for rest. There was some internal hemorrhaging, but it was small. It would heal itself. Nevertheless, he couldn't count on his body anymore. He needed chakra! Then he remembered what Ero-sennin had said; he could rely on the Kyuubi's chakra. He stood tall and packed away his kunai. He formed the ram seal and started concentrating. It was a good thing he had always been good at meditating. This would be quicker to accomplish.

XXX

_Naruto stood in front of the golden gates. He knew what lay behind them. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the Kyuubi no Yoko. Suddenly, two red eyes glowed behind the black prison, and a flash of long, sharp, white teeth could be seen._

"_We finally meet, Uzumaki Naruto," The Kyuubi said._

"_I am not here for a social visit. I need some of your chakra. Now." The Kyuubi laughed menacingly, chillingly, but Naruto didn't flinch._

"_You are foolish, Uzumaki Naruto, if you think the Fourth's seal can contain me forever. I will break free, and when I do, I will destroy you, your loved ones, and Konoha. I shall drink Konoha's life blood." The Kyuubi came closer to the gates. "But that can change. Free me, remove this seal, and I shall give you all my power. I will spare Konoha its deserved fate for sealing me here." Naruto simply looked at the Kyuubi, not blinking._

"_Come closer, boy," The Kyuubi said. Naruto did so. "So I can kill you!" shouted the Kyuubi as it tried to gouge at Naruto with its long claws. Naruto simply sidestepped, unfazed._

"_I grow weary of your games, Kyuubi. I asked for some chakra. Don't make me demand it." The Kyuubi howled with laughter._

"_Do you think you can threaten me, Uzumaki Naruto? You amuse me, boy, but its time to die!" Suddenly, the Kyuubi's other paw could be seen, and a long claw went straight for Naruto's head. Naruto raised his right hand, blocking the attack with his palm. A burst of blue and red light emanated, which turned black, and then slowly died. The Kyuubi actually looked shocked._

"_You cannot hurt me within my own mind, Kyuubi. Now give me some chakra!" The Kyuubi laughed._

"_We shall meet again, Uzumaki Naruto … and we shall see about that declaration of yours …" Suddenly a spark jumped between Naruto's right hand and the Kyuubi's claw. It widened into a stream of red chakra._

XXX

Neji looked at Naruto. He smirked. His Byakugan told him what he already knew. All of Naruto's tenketsu were blocked. He could not summon chakra.

"It's useless, dropout. You cannot summon chakra … what!?" Neji had just seen a spark of chakra in Naruto's body, which slowly widened and started spreading out through his entire body, healing all his wounds as it went. He took a step back. Just what was Naruto? Naruto opened his eyes, a smile on his lips. Neji panicked. Naruto ran toward Neji, all his chakra focused into the kunai he held. It was all or nothing. Neji started his Heavenly Spin.

"**Hakkesho Dai Kaiten!**" he yelled. The two energies met, and there was a huge explosion. As the dust died down, it revealed two holes, one with Neji in, and one with Naruto in it. Neji slowly got up after several unsuccessful tries. He walked toward Naruto, his steps staggering. He was moments away from unconsciousness.

"I told you, dropout," he said in a gravelly voice. "You cannot defeat me. Your destiny was set the moment I was made your opponent. You cannot fight your fate." The Naruto in the hole suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, and an instant later, a yellow flash erupted soundlessly from the ground, and Neji felt himself being punched in the chin. He was lifted clean off his feet and was sent back several feet, landing heavily on the hard, unforgiving ground. As he was being punched, the knot of his hitai-ate came off, and it was thrown into the air. Naruto easily caught the falling forehead protector. Neji didn't try to get up. He knew he was finished. The Uzumaki boy had won, as much as that pained him to admit. He was utterly spent. Neji looked at Naruto, craning his neck forward.

"Kage … Bunshin…" he said slowly. "I … should have … realized. Your favorite technique … isn't it? But I … didn't see you … do it. My Byakugan…" Naruto looked hard at Neji, staggering forward.

"That's because from the start you were fighting my Kage Bunshin," he explained. Neji smiled sadly. He had been played. That time when Naruto sunk into the ground… "My Underground Projection Fish jutsu," Naruto explained. "I sunk far below your range and created a Kage Bunshin with most of my chakra, 85."

"But my … Byakugan would have …. noticed," Neji managed to get out. Naruto shook his head.

"Not it I had been masking some of my chakra," he said. "I used up quite a chunk of my remaining chakra maintaining the jutsu that kept underground, but now to finish this." Naruto made several hand seals and threw the hitai-ate in his hand up into the sky.

"**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!**" he yelled. A blue fireball raced toward the hitai-ate and engulfed it in fire, burning it to cinders. He let out a breath and focused his attention on Neji. He took out a kunai and approached Neji. The Proctor was too far away to do anything. Genma had decided being too close to these two was a bad idea. Naruto approached Neji and Genma raced toward the two at full speed. Naruto looked down at Neji, his face calm. Neji closed his eyes. This was it. He heard the kunai sailing toward the ground. He breathed his final breath.

Or so he thought. He opened his eyes. The kunai was an inch from his face. He looked up at Naruto.

"You fate is in Hinata's hands. She will decide whether to forgive you or not." With that, Naruto stood up and walked to where his coat was. He dusted it off and put it on. Genma reached him then, looking at him closely.

_What a kid…_ "And the winner of this match is Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma announced. Naruto did not wait around for the applause. He simply walked out of the arena, not making a sound.

XXX

All the rookies were in shock. This was the last thing they had expected.

"Go, Naruto!" Kiba shouted. Ino was smiling, and Choji … well, the less said, the better. Sakura could not believe this. Naruto, the small, insignificant kid who once had a crush on her, had grown strong. Very strong.

"I told you," Hinata said and walked away, Sanhana lingering momentarily to see the winner's exit before following. Somehow, Sakura got the impression Hinata was speaking to her. She sighed. Why did Naruto always have to make her life difficult?

XXX

**There you go. As usual, please read and review. I am going to miss Shikamaru's fight and jump straight to Sasuke versus Gaara and Naruto's big fight with Gaara. Naruto has one killer move just as Sasuke's got his Chidori. I hope you like it. Also, after the next chapter (I think), is when I'm going to make a short Arc with the Konoha Eleven included (Lee's not yet fully recovered, so Sasuke's got the place). Hope you enjoyed.**


	15. Volume 1: Rivals, Chidori and Chisemi

"Well, this is getting more interesting by the minute," Tenten commented dryly. First Naruto's fight, of which the outcome had been a total shocker. Half the village had been dumbstruck to see who was under the hood and had only started applauding when Naruto was already out of the arena. None of them had seen him since. Then Shikamaru had fought Temari, of which the outcome was also very shocking. Who knew that Shikamaru was so smart? Choji did, apparently, because he was commenting on the direction the match would take without even paying proper attention to what was going on. He had also improved his stamina and strength, two things which aided his Shadow Jutsu because the amount of chakra he had to use to enforce the jutsu was considerable reduced. Nevertheless, he had given up in the end when he was too bruised and too tired to continue, something that shocked everyone in the stadium since he had got Temari right when he wanted her. Choji said that Shikamaru simply couldn't be bothered to come up with the energy and plan for an endgame move; it was just too troublesome. Temari had looked like she was going to attack Shikamaru when the spiky haired genin had surrendered. She was practically seething, but Shikamaru simply ignored her. The next match had been Shino against the other Suna shinobi, Kankuro. The match had ended rather abruptly, with Kankuro giving up rather early on in the match, but still it had been quite interesting to watch. Shino was naturally a close to mid range fighter, and he was a great tactician, where as Kankuro was a natural mid to long range fighter because of his puppets, and he also was quite a smart fighter. Shino had caught him in a trap, which almost everyone thought he could escape, but he had simply given up. Shino did not complain, but then again Shino wasn't the vocal type. He simply waked back to the contestants' pavilion.

Now all that was left was the final match of the first round; Gaara no Sabaku against Uchiha Sasuke. The stadium was tense. Every fight had been an excellent one, displaying the talent of the new generation on genin and would be chunin, but this was the one everyone had come to see; the last Uchiha, a very talented Uchiha, was going to fight the so-called Demon of the Sand, Gaara of the Sand Waterfall.

"Where is Sasuke?" Sakura said, her emotions reflected in her voice. How could he be so late? Only a few more minutes and he would be disqualified. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind in the arena, followed by a vortex of leaves. Kakashi-sensei appeared and was speaking to the Proctor. He seemed his usual, goofy self, so Sakura calmed down a little. Everything was going to be alright. Kakashi-sensei disappeared and reappeared next to the rookies. They were instantly all over him, pestering him with questions, all of which were answered vaguely or avoided altogether. Typical Kakashi.

"Don't worry, guys," Kakashi said, rubbing his head, "Everything is fine. Sasuke will be here very soon. He just had to make a pit stop, that's all."

"But why are you so late in the first place?" Sakura persisted. Kakashi sighed. Why did he have to get the troublesome students? Why couldn't he get students who respected the sensei-pupil relationship? Why couldn't he get students who did not call him a pervert for reading good literature? Sometimes life was cruel, but this was just plain wrong.

"You'll see," Kakashi said, turning away. His eyes sharpened as he looked around the stands. Eh started spotting and counting. He arrived at a total of eight, eight ANBU members in the stadium. Maybe he's missed one or two because he was getting rusty, but still, even a total of ten ANBU Black Ops wouldn't be enough for the entire stadium. What was the Hokage thinking?

"He doesn't know the enemy's attack strategy, so he has spread them out to all critical areas of the village. It's not enough, but that's the best he can do without risking the entire village." This came from Gai, who whispered it softly so they wouldn't be overheard. Kakashi silently nodded and concentrated on the arena, waiting for his student to show while deep in thought of the impending attack. "All we can do now is watch this match," Gai continued. "Besides, I want to see what kind of training you gave your student, Kakashi. The other one, Naruto, has displayed very interesting abilities. He even knows Dance of the Waves and the Dragon's Hidden Claws. His victory over Neji was quite impressive. Let's see what you have done with Sasuke and see if it's better than my own training. After all, I am … your eternal rival." Gai smiled at Kakashi, teeth gleaming, but Kakashi was not paying any attention.

"Uh, sorry, did you say something?" Kakashi asked in a distracted voice. Gai's eyebrow twitched. Damn that Kakashi! Why did he have to be so cool!?

_So Naruto beat Neji, eh?_ Kakashi thought. _And he knows his taijutsu or else Gai wouldn't have been that impressed. Just how far have you come, Naruto?_

XXX

Sasuke knelt down. The large alter in front of him cast a giant shadow over most of the room. All that could be seen of Sasuke was the outline of his body and his deep, lost, red Sharingan eyes. Sasuke lit some incense and placed it in a bamboo holder in front of him. Then, he began the purifying ritual. He patiently went through all the forms of bowing and kowtowing, whilst chanting the mantra. Finally, he finished. He took another stick of incense and lit it. This one he kept in between his palms and began praying. Proper respect had to be shown to those he had come to visit and to the Spirits, the Kami. After several minutes of endless chanting, Sasuke finally stopped. He put the stick of incense in the bamboo holder with the other one. He stood up, bowed to the small statue in front of him, and then walked up the steps to the alter. He stood there, eyes cast down, gathering his courage. This was the first time he had come to visit, despite the Third Hokage having imparted the information unto him several years previously, information some might consider a gift from the Gods. But Sasuke didn't think it was a gift. To him, the information was a reminder of his failure, of his inadequacy, of weakness.

His whole body shaking, Sasuke stepped over the threshold. He walked slowly until he came to the twin slabs at the centre of the alter. They were set up five feet off the ground, so Sasuke could easily look down onto the occupants. His breath shook, and silent tears started streaming down his cheeks. They looked so peaceful! His right hand slowly reached out to one of the people, a woman lain on the left slab, the one nearest to him. When his hand was an inch from her face, however, he stopped. He did not want to disturb her peace, even though all the medics in the Fire Country said she was in a deep coma from whence she will not wake. The same went for the man lain on the slab next to her. Sasuke went round the slab so that he could stand between both people. His Sharingan was blazing. It almost looked as if it was glowing red. He was remembering the day, that fateful day. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Even after all this time, he still wasn't strong enough, but he was getting there. There were two ways he could reach his goal, and he was already on one of those paths.

He knelt down so he was on the same level as the man and the woman. "Which path do I choose?" he whispered softly.

"The right one." Sasuke started. He looked up in surprise, and finding no one, he jumped up and turned around. There, below him, by the entrance, was the outline of a robed figure. The darkness of the Chamber and the light from the clashed, so that all that could be seen of the figure were two bright blue orbs of that were staring at Sasuke with intensity. Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger.

"How did you get here? Leave, now!" the robed figure glided over the floor gently and came up to the small shrine. It took some incense and lit the stick on a candle. It bowed three times and put the lit incense in the bamboo holder. It straightened up and looked at Sasuke.

"It wasn't hard," it said. "If you leave the entrance open, it's not exactly hard to follow the trail." Sasuke realized that indeed he had left the tile in the Temple above partially open, thinking the visit would be quick. Nevertheless, anger still showed in his face.

"This is an ancient Uchiha temple. You are not an Uchiha, and therefore you are not welcome. Now leave!" the figure ignored him and started up the stares, and the killer intent Sasuke was radiating increased dramatically. Even a seasoned Jonin would have been surprised and a little scared that such a young boy had so much killer intent. The figure, however, was unfazed. It reached the threshold of the alter and bowed, then proceeded. It came up to the man's slab and looked down at him. All Sasuke could see from under the deep hood were two, sad, blue eyes.

"So…" the figure said. Sasuke couldn't hold himself in check any longer. He attacked. He threw a punch at the figure over the comatose man, followed by another, and another, and another. They all connected solidly, but the figure did not defend itself. It simply took the hits until Sasuke was spent, his anger gone. It then stood up straight again and looked at Sasuke. Sasuke's Sharingan eyes blazed, but he could no longer bring himself to attack this person.

The figure went round to the woman and looked down at her. Her face was so peaceful, so full of love, understanding. The figure wondered what it was like having her in your life, but couldn't. It sighed and looked at Sasuke, who was still facing the entrance, away from the woman and the figure.

"You still haven't answered me," Sasuke said. "How did you find me?" The figure shrugged and started going down the stairs of the alter.

"I simply followed your scent," it said. "And Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up at the figure, his body now calm. "I cannot tell you which path to choose. That decision is up to you. I know I cannot convince you to leave your path of vengeance. I do not have the necessary experience to advise you, and in any case, I think I would to the same thing in your place. However, don't forget that you have friends here in Konoha. No matter what, those friends will always be there for you." The figure turned round and walked out of the chamber. "Now hurry up. You're already late for your match, and I'm itching to see how far you've come with Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke couldn't help but smile at the idiot.

"As if you could beat me, Naruto," he said softly. He started walked off the alter and out of the chamber. When he reached the entrance, he turned round and looked into the dim light of the shrine. He gathered chakra into his right hand and placed his hand on the inside wall. Suddenly, the entire room was illuminated by a blue light as Sasuke's chakra weaved its way through the walls, illuminating the many seals around the room. The alter was glowing red as its seals flared into existence. These were the seals that kept the two people alive. After a second, Sasuke sighed and removed his hand, placing the room into its previous darkness. He walked out, briefly touching the wall with a handful of chakra. A wall of stone slid down silently, covering the entrance to the Alter Room seamlessly.

XXX

Naruto was the first to show. Sakura looked at him with a shrewd gaze, trying to figure out what was wrong. Finally, she spotted it as Naruto came to stand beside Kakashi-sensei. His face as bruised heavily, and though the bruises were already healing, they still showed. She had not seen Naruto take any serious hits to the face during his match with Neji, if any, so she wondered what could have happened.

"Naruto, your face!" she exclaimed as a gust of wind blew his hood of, revealing a swollen lip and dried blood on his face. It wasn't that bad, but still, blood? What had he been up to? Naruto's gaze flickered to her face, and then he replaced his hood firmly.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Sakura? Leave. Me. Alone. Don't get so familiar with me," Naruto said. He was not really in the mood to socialize. He, too, knew about the impending attack, having already informed the Hokage about Orochimaru's plan to take Sasuke. He, too, spotted the eight ANBU members, and he grimaced. So little?

"Don't speak to your teammate like that, Naruto," Kakashi admonished him. Everyone was shocked to hear Naruto speak like this to Sakura. He always behaved in a polite manner to everyone. "You are comrades. Treat her as such."

Naruto grunted. "Maybe I should apply for travelling shinobi status," he grumbled under his breath, but everyone heard him nonetheless. He had actually considered this, but a ninja needed to be a chunin at the very least to even be considered. All this teamwork, socializing and dealing with each other's problems was finally beginning to take its toll on his patience. Why did he have to bear with such unwanted burdens?

"Anyway," Naruto continued, "how confident are you in Sasuke's abilities, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, evaluating the grown shinobi. He hadn't paid much attention to him, something he would have to remedy. The team was starting to grow apart. Kakashi sighed and looked at the arena.

"Very," Kakashi said simply. Naruto nodded. "Why do you ask?" Kakashi said.

"Because," Naruto said slowly, his voice layered with meaning, "Gaara no Sabaku … is … like me." Kakashi looked at Naruto shrewdly, and then nodded, slowly. He knew the Sand had made a new container for Shukaku, but he had not expected it to be a genin in the Chunin Exams. "He can handle it," Kakashi said, and that was the end of the matter. Naruto suddenly looked up, his nose twitching. He looked to the side for a second, concentrating.

"He's here," Naruto said, and a second later, Sasuke appeared in the arena with a whirlwind of leaves. The fight was about to begin.

XXX

Sasuke faced off against Gaara. Genma sighed. Finally. He was dreading having to tell the crowd that Sasuke's match would be cancelled. Hardcore fans were always a problem.

"Now that you are here," Genma said, stepping back slightly, "we can begin. You both know the rules; the match only ends when one of you is incapacitated or dead, and I call the shots, understood?" They didn't give any sign that they had heard. He sighed. Why were all kids so disrespectful and full of themselves these days? "Begin!" Genma shouted. And started trickling out of Gaara's calabash gourd until there was a floating, swirling, ring of sand around the sand shinobi. Sasuke stood in the **Karyu** stance and waited patiently for Gaara to attack. Gaara did not disappoint. Suddenly a thin stream of fast moving sand went straight for Sasuke, which he barely dodged. The attacks only increased in intensity and frequency as Gaara started getting into the pace of the battle. The sand Gaara was using now was not a bulky as the one he used in the Preliminaries. It was more refined and very light, making it very good for travelling long distances, changing direction abruptly and piercing any defenses. Sasuke had a hard time dodging the sand, and what's more, with every move he made, he was being driven further and further away from Gaara. Since he was not exactly a long range fighter, this would prove to be very difficult. He needed to distract Gaara from his attack so he could get in close. Possessing his long list of jutsu wasn't going to be of much help if he couldn't use them. He jumped into the sky to avoid another lunge of the sand and made a few hand seals. The **Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu** made its way toward Gaara, whose sand naturally retracted to defend against the powerful jutsu. Sasuke was a little surprised to find that none of the sand had crystallized. But Gaara was a master of his sand. He would have increased the sand's density to and slightly changed the make up so that wouldn't happen.

"You are going to need much hotter flames, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara said softly but clearly. But the diversion had served its purpose. Sasuke landed lightly on the ground and sped toward Gaara. Another whip of Sand came toward Sasuke, but this time he was going in the right direction and managed to dodge the attacks while not jeopardizing his own chances. He got in close to Gaara and aimed a punch at the boy's midsection, but the Shield of Sand was simply too fast. Sasuke jumped back and attacked from the side, but again met the same resistance. Despite his increased speed, he was no match for the speed of the Shield of Sand. He activated his Sharingan. He had hoped he wouldn't need them, but his underestimation of his opponent would be his undoing if he didn't change tact now. He jumped back further and launched another **Grand Fireball** at Gaara, but this time he hid three Giant Windmill Shuriken inside the Fireball. At the same moment, he ran right beside his jutsu and attacked Gaara from behind using taijutsu. As he had suspected, the Shield of Sand was too small and too slow to deal with multiple attacks from different directions. His Grand Fireball had contained a lot of chakra, more than before, and the Giant Windmill Shuriken had been thrown with deadly accuracy and strength. On top of that, Sasuke's taijutsu had improved dramatically over the past two months. Kakashi may have not been an Uchiha, but he had copied quite a lot of the Uchiha Arts. Even with all this, Sasuke could not manage to breach through the Shield of Sand. He jumped back, evaluating what he had learned. However, Gaara didn't give him time to formulate a plan as he attacked again with his elongated Sand Whip.

Sasuke was now on the defensive, but not for long. He knew overwhelming Gaara's defenses was the only was to get past the Shield of Sand, but he could never do that in his current condition. He sighed. He would have to use _that_. It would guarantee his success, but at the cost of his stamina and a lot of chakra. Using two **Grand Fireballs** now seemed like a total waste of chakra. He ran toward Gaara, dodging the Sand Whip, but as he came close to the boy, a figure started forming out of sand. It was a Sand Clone. Sasuke gritted his teeth. That's all he needed, to Sand wielding demons. He got close to the sand clone and jumped into the air, scissoring his legs. The sand clone got hit in the head by a powerful right foot, but it immediately started regenerating as Sasuke passed. Sasuke landed on his hand, pivoting as he did so, so that he was no standing next to Gaara. He hit the sand clone in the neck, but it absorbed the attack, with his left arm as well. He hit the sand clone in the head with his right palm, adding a bit of chakra to the attack. The sand clone dissipated. He jumped closer to Gaara, pulling back his left arm for an attack to Gaara's neck. The Shield of Sand came up just in the nick of time to block Sasuke's attack. Sasuke smiled. With a blur of speed, Sasuke disappeared and reappeared behind Gaara. Gaara's eyes widened. Not another taijutsu guy! He turned round in time to see Sasuke get past the Shield of Sand, which was moving too slow to stop him, and hit him square in the jaw, sending him sprawling several feet.

XXX

"What a waster of chakra that first Katon jutsu was," Naruto commented as Sasuke was dodging Gaara's Sand Whip. Sakura glared at him, but Naruto ignored it. He was speaking the truth, after all.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura growled. Naruto looked at her, not even bothering to become angered. What was it about Sakura that got him so hot-blooded?

"When you deceive yourself, you make it easier for others to deceive you," Naruto said, turning back to the match. Sakura blinked as if to say, "What?" "An old man told me that once," Naruto said. Sakura was glaring daggers at Naruto, but he was not looking at her anymore.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked vehemently. Naruto shrugged.

"Open you eyes, I guess," he replied nonchalantly. "When the truth is staring you in the face, only an idiot turns away from it. Besides, Sasuke has already recovered, so there's no need to continue this pointless conversation." Naruto now fully ignored Sakura as he saw Sasuke put on an unprecedented burst of speed and hit Gaara in the jaw. Sasuke had indeed improved. Sakura was about to rise to Naruto's unsaid challenge when Kakashi put a restraining hand on her shoulder. This wasn't the time.

"If taijutsu is all you taught Sasuke, then I am severely disappointed in your teaching capabilities, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. A lot of the rookies gasped. Naruto was never impolite to his seniors, never. But Kakashi didn't seem to mind.

"I have to agree, Kakashi," Gai said. "That Gaara cannot be got by using speed alone. You saw Lee's match. You know this. So what exactly did you teach the boy…?" Naruto looked at Kakashi expectantly, but all Kakashi did was smile his usual eye-smile.

"I taught him many things," Kakashi said. "You'll just have to wait and see…"

XXX

Sasuke smiled. Finally, the match was going his way. With his increased speed and strength, he had managed to injure Gaara heavily. He had also used many Earth Release jutsu to counter Gaara's sand, but ideally he would have wanted to use some Water Release jutsu. Too bad there wasn't a nearby source of water, so he had to make do with what he had. Having the Sharingan definitely had its advantages. He had been able to master many of Kakashi's jutsu, and the ones that were beyond his current level, he had simply copied them with his Sharingan. But still Gaara continued to be a nuisance, and therefore Sasuke had resorted to attacking the mind rather than the body. The results were quite good. He had just cast multiple genjutsu on Gaara. Gaara had good chakra control, but the Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai to be reckoned with. Every ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu that was delivered with the Sharingan's aid was more powerful than the normal attack, especially genjutsu. The Sharingan allowed access to the opponents mind via the Hypnotizing Eye effect of the Sharingan. That is why seasoned Sharingan users did not need to perform hand seals when using genjutsu, which is what Sasuke had done with the three C rank genjutsu he had just cast on Gaara. With Gaara preoccupied with the illusionary world of genjutsu, Sasuke began his attack. The Shield of Sand was not fooled with genjutsu, but with Sasuke's speed, he was able to overcome it easily. Because Gaara could not detect any attacks coming, and his mind was now befuddled, he could not mold chakra properly enough to create the Armor of Sand, **Suna no Yoroi**. Sasuke was having a field day. As his last attack in a long list of attacks, he looped a piece of wire around Gaara and stood five feet away from Gaara. He had timed this perfectly. He formed the necessary hand seals and took in a deep breath.

**Katon: Karyu Endan!** He thought this as he released a long stream of fire more intense and more damaging than the **Ryuka jutsu**. Gaara was hit by three quarters of the technique before the pain dispelled all three of Sasuke's genjutsu and the Shield of Sand and the Armor of Sand were activated and blocked the rest. Sasuke jumped back to gain his breath and rest for a short while. It required a lot of stamina to fight the way he was, especially using the speed and strength he had copied from that Lee guy. Gaara was panting heavily. All his life he had never been injured, and now he was being defeated consecutively in two months. He would not have this! His usually well controlled mind, as taught to him by the Legendary Siblings, was now slipping. His mental defenses crumbled under the on-rushing torrent of hatred and self-preservation that flared up within him. He had been a good tool, as he was meant to be by his father. He had learnt, at the cost of any friends and his sanity, but he had learnt. He had been taught how to control the spirit of Shukaku to a degree that he could actually rest without fear, even though he could not sleep. But now the deep hunger for blood that was emanating from Shukaku, not to mention the amount of killer intent and self-preservation, flooded Gaara's mind and broke down all his mental barriers. He went feral.

As the power of Shukaku flooded his mind, most of his bruises healed, apart from the deep injuries. He did not have time and chakra to waste on them. Uchiha Sasuke had to be dealt with, or he would pose a threat to Gaara's existence as the Sand Village's Ultimate Weapon. That must not happen. The Sand Whip flashed forward with renewed strength and speed, hitting Sasuke several times and drawing blood. Sasuke grunted as several more whips hit, drawing more blood. He had no choice. He had to take this up to the next level. With a determined look, he activated his Sharingan's copying abilities to the next level. As the next whip came at him, he suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Gaara, hitting him in the spine. He was now as fast and as strong as Lee was when he opened the First Gate. As Gaara bent backwards in pain, Sasuke jumped over him and land in front of the genin. He ran toward Gaara, avoiding the Shield of Sand, and grabbed Gaara by the straps that kept the calabash gourd stuck to Gaara's back. He kneed Gaara in the stomach and sternum, winding him severely, and then delivered a palm strike layered with chakra to Gaara's chest. Gaara was sent back flying many metres and landed in a heap. He slowly stood, his eyes blazing and killer intent rolling off him. Sasuke jumped back several feet, analyzing the way this match was going. He had already used a lot of chakra, and he could feel his reserves depleting. He needed to finish this now, and the only way to do that was by using _that_ move.

Gaara started gathering sand toward him, forming a thin shell that blocked most of his body from view. Slowly, the shell thickened, covering more of Gaara's body. Sasuke did not bother using any ninjutsu as that would only use up more chakra. Instead, he started running toward Gaara. Any last minute hits that he could make would go well toward Gaara's final defeat. But Gaara was shaping his jutsu too fast for Sasuke to reach, even with all his speed. As he reached Gaara, the final shell of sand covered Gaara totally. Gaara was now encased in a Sphere of Sand. Sasuke jumped back, and looked at the Sphere of Sand. He needed to evaluate it's strengths as weaknesses, though he doubted he would find any weaknesses since this was an Absolute Defense. He attacked it several times, and noted the speed of the sand spikes that protruded from the Sphere of Sand. After a final attack, he jumped back, and continued to move backward until he moving up the wall of the arena. Fair enough, now was as good time as any to initiate his jutsu.

XXX

"Looks like he's no longer a hot head," commented Naruto, much to Sakura's chagrin. Kakashi smiled. "That's quite an achievement, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said. Naruto saw the hand seals Sasuke used, and then noticed the motions. He raised an eyebrow. "Looks like proper shinobi thinking is not the only things you taught him," he commented.

"Those hand seals … those motions … that immense chakra build up," said Gai. He looked at Kakashi. "Don't tell me you taught him _that_ move, Kakashi?" Kakashi looked at him.

"I wouldn't judge if I were you, Gai." He crouched down and smiled at Lee. "Isn't that right, Lee-san?" Gai shook his head.

"What is it?" Sakura asked as she saw the white chakra flare in an orb shape in Sasuke's left hand. There were lightning streaks coming off it, and most of all there was the _noise!_ It was like … a lot of birds.

"Simply put, it's a thrust," Naruto explained. "The user gathers a lot of chakra into their hand and then coverts it into lightning by using chakra manipulation. The thrust is very powerful; it's able to cut through anything, if used in the right hands. The noise you are hearing is a side effect of so much lightning chakra concentrated into a small space. It resembles the chirps of a thousand birds, a thousand plovers. That's why it's called … **Chidori**."

"Chidori," Gai said. "The Copy Ninja Kakashi's only original jutsu." Naruto seemed to be smiling at something, so Sakura asked what was funny.

"Chidori," Naruto said, shaking his head. "What a joke."

"Naruto!" Sakura reprimanded. "Don't disrespect Kakashi-sensei like that." Gai, also, seemed to be amused.

"It's not disrespect," Gai explained. "The jutsu's name is actually a kind of joke. You see, while the move itself might be original, Kakashi unwittingly designed it after an old Samurai legend about a great warrior who split lightening into two with his sword, and afterwards named the sword **Chidori**. You have no idea how peeved Kakashi was when I told him after I found out from Jin-sensei."

"That is why he created the **Raikiri**," Naruto said, and looked at Kakashi with a smiled. "He invented **Raikiri** so that his **Chidori** wouldn't be ridiculed." Kakashi was looked down, his eye closed in depression.

"Can't a guy invent a jutsu in peace…?" he whispered softly. Naruto and Guy laughed.

XXX

Sasuke ran full speed at Gaara with his **Chidori**. He dodged all of the spikes from the Sphere of Sand and plunged the **Chidori** right where his Sharingan told him Gaara's chest was supposed to be. He plunged his palm through the sand, the **Chidori** easily eating through the dense sand. He felt a warmness on his hand, and realized it was blood. He smiled. He had got the bastard. Suddenly, a pain gripped his hand, and tried to pull away, but couldn't. After heaving for a few seconds, he was finally able to jump away, but not before his sharp Sharingan saw something within the confines of the Sphere of Sand. What was that?

XXX

Naruto smelled something. He looked up, and saw white feathers falling to the ground. His eyes slightly widened as he recognised the jutsu being used. Kurenai-san had used it previously, and he knew what that meant. He shouted three simple words.

"It has begun!" suddenly, all the ANBU looked at him, surprised, and so did Kakashi and Gai, but he ignored them all. Instead, he formed the ram seal, focused his chakra, and started gathering a small amount of chakra into his hands. "It's the Sand, Kakashi, not the lesser Villages!" Kakashi looked around, and saw that all of the Sand ninja were slowly getting up, ready to strike as soon as the genjutsu served its purpose. Without pause, Kakashi removed his hitai-ate from his left eye and got out a kunai. All the ANBU members immediately got into action, jumping over the now sleeping spectators, and went for the Sand and Sound shinobi. Naruto ignored the commotion and formed half ram seals with both his hands. He then took a deep breath, placed his right hand straight above his head and his left hand straight down, and then moved them both clockwise until their positions were reversed. Sasuke and Kakashi realized he was forming the outer shell of the **Taijitu**, the common symbol used to represent Yin and Yang. Naruto was now standing in a wide legged stance. He pulled his hands back, and as he did so, a crackling sound started, increasing in intensity as he held the position. Sakura looked at her hands, and to her surprise, she saw the hairs on them standing up.

_He's generating electricity…_

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grunted, his eyes shut in concentration. "In exactly ten seconds I want you to tell me the exact location of the enemy troops, those that are within one hundred metres of my position." His whole body was now trembling, and he was grunting continuously. Sakura wondered what was wrong with him. In ten seconds, Kakashi suddenly shouted co-ordinates. Sakura didn't know why Kakashi was humoring the boy, but a second later her mind went blank at the power Naruto was showing her. Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, which were _glowing blue!_ He thrust one hand in the direction Kakashi had said, and to her surprise, a blue bolt of lightening erupted from his long, sharp, nails. It hit the Sound ninja square in the chest. The shinobi did not get up. Naruto moved flawlessly and fluidly, not missing a mark. His thumbs, ring fingers, and pinkies were folded into the palms of his hands, so that only the index fingers and middle fingers were extended. He thrust long, powerful, lightening bolts at each and every one of his twenty five targets without missing. Finally, a twenty sixth target suddenly jumped toward Naruto, angry that its comrades had been killed by a little squirt like this.

"Die!" the Sand ninja shouted, which was a bad idea because even though Kakashi had not spotted this new threat, Naruto's sharp hearing heard the ninja, and he immediately turned in a one eighty move, pulled both his palms inward, and then timely thrust them heavily at the shinobi's chest. A blast of electricity erupted from Naruto's palms, hitting the shinobi in the chest. The shinobi's death scream was only heard for about a second before the lightening tore a hole through the Sound shinobi's chest, spurting blood everywhere. The dead shinobi's body was pushed twenty metres back into a wall as the electivity within Naruto was finally released. Naruto was panting heavily, and his hair was practically everywhere! He went to Kiba, Ino, Choji and Tenten, touching them briefly. The last of the electricity in Naruto was discharged into the genin, creating pain and dispelling the genjutsu.

"Naruto …" Sakura whispered. "Just what jutsu was that?" Naruto smirked.

"Something I came up with when I found out I was totally useless at **Raiton** jutsu. If I could not manipulate my chakra to use **Raiton** jutsu, I decided to borrow all the lightening present in the atmosphere. It is how Kakashi sensei also increases the power of his Raikiri when he's on land. He simply borrows the stored charge within the ground. But now is not the time for explanations. Konoha is now at war, and Sasuke needs my help."

"You can't go down there," Kakashi objected, dodging a kunai and throwing one of his own, killing the preoccupied Sound ninja. Naruto smirked as if to say, "Are you going to stop me?" Kakashi shook his head. "It is simply too dangerous," Kakashi said. Naruto shook his head.

"Look, Kakashi-sensei," he said. "The Sound might have committed all their shinobi into this invasion," he said, dodging a shuriken and throwing a kunai, "but the Sand were a bit more level headed. Look, the majority of their force is made up of advanced genin and chunin. So far I have only been able to spot three Sand jonin." Kakashi knew the boy was right, but still, sending Naruto down into an arena riddled with enemy ninja was not exactly his first choice. He couldn't abandon his comrades, too. They needed Naruto more than he needed Naruto. He gave a short nod of consent, and instantly all the rookies burst into action, following Naruto down the arena wall into the arena proper.

"Make sure everyone is alright!" Kakashi called after Naruto, before concentrating on his won battles.

XXX

As Naruto ran down the wall at full speed, he informed his squad that there might be more enemy ninja hidden in the arena, under the ground or using genjutsu, so to be alert at all times. Only Sakura seemed a little peeved that Naruto had been put in charge, and he could already smell her mind working out a way for Sasuke to take over. What was wrong with that girl? As he neared the ground, he spotted the enemy, and his nose and ears told him of all the rest who were disguising themselves with genjutsu. He formed three hand seals and said, "**Chisemi!**" he started gathering a lot of chakra into his right hand. Sakura recognised this, but she couldn't believe it. It was so much like **Chidori**! Naruto couldn't have mastered the Chidori! But it turned out to be quite different. Instead of the white chakra of the Thousand Birds, this attack was a pure black orb of energy, and instead of frizzling white lightening coming off it, there were frizzling light blue/green lightening shaped energy coming off it. Instead of the sound of a Thousand Birds, there was the sound of … cicadas shrilling, a Thousand cicadas. But Naruto was not finished. He said, "**Katsu riri-su!**" and brought his left hand together with his right hand. The black orb covered both of them, and when Naruto separated his hands, _both_ hands were now covered in black energy with fizzling blue/green energy sizzling off.

"Sakura, there are at least twenty hidden shinobi down there cloaked by genjutsu. I will take out any that are in my way, but getting to Sasuke is my number one priority. Do your best to reveal the enemy so the others can deal with them." With that, Naruto put on a burst of speed and left his squad behind.

"Good plan," Kiba commented, and Akamaru barked. "Straight forward and no complicated parts."

Naruto ran down the wall and onto the ground at his fastest speed. Like **Chidori**, **Chisemi** also needed a lot of speed to be effective. He ploughed through the ninja ranks, killing off every ninja by decapitation or some other mortal wound. Visible and invisible, none escaped him. His squad and the chunin and jonin in the stands were very surprised, especially seeing as his fight with Neji had only ended twenty minutes previously. Any other normal ninja would only be at half his full power, and that was if he was a very good healer. About half the shinobi in the arena fell at Naruto's jutsu, his Thousand Locusts. The technique was named after a horde of thousands of locusts, **semi**, which looked like a black cloud, a black orb, in the sky. Also, **semi** meant cicada, which also explained the noise the jutsu created. Sasuke looked at the approaching Naruto in wonder. His Sharingan told him that the properties of Naruto's jutsu were very much like his **Chidori**, but whereas he used Lightening, Naruto used Wind. Naruto ran straight past Sasuke and toward Gaara. Gaara was a danger, and as such he needed to be eliminated first. However, a blond and black blur flashed before Naruto, and there standing before Naruto were Temari and Kankuro. Kankuro unleashed a puppet, and despite Naruto's very sharp eyesight, he could not swerve in time to avoid hitting the puppet full on. His black palms hit the puppet, smashing it into a million tiny fragments. Naruto cursed. His **Chisemi** was almost running out of energy to sustain it, and Naruto himself was not back to his full power yet, despite appearances. Nevertheless, he charged chakra into his hands, renewing his **Thousand Locusts**. Temari, however, saw this. She gave a nod to Kankuro, who nodded back, lifted a heavily injured Gaara, and jumped away. Temari had unhooked her fan and was now backing them up, making sure no one attacked them from behind as they ran away.

"We can't let them get away!" Naruto shouted. "We must not let Gaara recuperate!" With that, Sasuke and Naruto jumped after the retreating Sand shinobi. Temari attacked them with a **Cutting Whirlwind Jutsu**, but Naruto defended Sasuke and him with the **Chisemi** in his left hand. But Temari had launched two consecutive attacks, and to Naruto's surprise, one was headed for the other rookies. This attack had a lot of chakra mixed into it, a desperate ploy no doubt, and so Naruto raced back to his squad and stood in front of them, his right hand held out. The Cutting Whirlwind met resistance in Naruto's **Chisemi**, and it was defeated. When Naruto looked up from the after effects of the high speed wind attack, the Sand shinobi were no where to be seen. Sakura looked at Naruto's hands. They were smoking.

"Right," Naruto said, addressing everyone. Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino had managed to catch up to the rest of the rookies by this time. "I want one team to go to the Southern district, one to the Northern District and one to the West, near the Academy. Clear? Scatter!" Nine people grouped up and left, running for all their worth. This was war.

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked, predictably. Naruto sighed. He, too, had noticed the Uchiha's absence instantly, and he knew where Sasuke had gone, even though Sasuke did not have backup. Naruto bit his thumb, smeared the blood on his left palm and formed a five hand seals.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**," Naruto said, slamming his right hand onto the ground. There was a small puff of smoke, and a moment later, an orange toad appeared.

"Naruto-kun!" the toad said. "Do you have any treats for me!?" Then it noticed all the damage and the fighting. "What's going on here…?" it stammered.

"Hello, Gamakichi," Naruto said with a small smile. "The Sand and Sound Villages have launched an invasion, but we don't need to worry about that for the time being. I need you to follow Sasuke's scent, he'd gone after one of the enemy shinobi." Gamakichi frowned, looking up at Naruto.

"You know we toads aren't the best –"

"Trackers?" Naruto finished. "Yeah, I do, but I also know you are a lazy bunch. Find Sasuke and there will be a big treat in it for you." Naruto pulled out a big sweet in the shape of a ball, which Gamakichi instantly mouthed, sucking noisily.

"You're right," the toad said smiling cheekily. "Beside, why would you need the best when you've got us." Naruto stood up and smiled.

"Let's go, Sakura, Shino," he said. Then he noticed the small cloud of dust heading toward them, and a moment later a dog stopped in front of them.

"Yo," it said. "My name is Pakkun. Kakashi sent me to help you follow Sasuke." Gamakichi looked happy and worried at the same time; happy he wouldn't have to do any work, sad about losing his promise of sweets.

"Don't worry, Gamakichi," Naruto said. "You can still have some sweets. Besides, something tells me this is going to take a while. I might need you yet. Come on, let's go!"

XXX

Up in the stands, Gai and Kakashi took a rest from the fighting. Most of these ninja were pushovers, below them, but there just so many of them! Already Kakashi was haggard. Having his Sharingan unveiled was taking its toll. They, however, had witnessed the rookies' performance in the ring. They had seen Naruto's attacks. They were surprised, to say the least.

"Don't tell me that's … **Chisemi**?" asked Gai. Kakashi nodded as a way of confirming. **Chisemi**. The attack that was modeled after his own **Chidori**. But the only two people who he knew off who could perform the **Chisemi** were both dead. One was an old man who had died quite a while back. Another was the creator, his father, Sakumo Hatake. Something was definitely amiss here, but he had no time to dwell on it. They were in a war, after all.

"Come on, Gai," he said, and they attacked the enemy troops.


	16. Volume 1: The Will Of Fire

The three man team moved through the forest at speed, but not fast enough that they would tire themselves out before they got to the objective of their mission. Naruto was at the head, his eyes focused on the horizon, is other senses focused on their surroundings. This was war; it paid to be aware. Inside he was a confusion of emotions. Sasuke was in danger, more than the young Uchiha realized. Sasuke might be strong, as strong as, or maybe even stronger than Naruto, but there was no way a young genin like him could match the power of a weapon such as the Shukaku. Only he, Naruto, stood a chance, because he was more rested and had the Kyuubi no Yoko to call upon for chakra and strength. Naruto gritted his teeth; once again, Sasuke had gotten hot headed, but this time the consequences would be far worse if Naruto didn't reach Sasuke in time.

"Shino," Naruto said, just in time to warn the young Aburame about the long, poisoned, blade that was coming for him. Naruto had smelt the potent poison before he heard the whistle of the blade moving through the air. Naruto jumped out of the way, Sakura following him and Shino jumping the other way, toward where the attack had originated from. Gamakichi and Pakkun were too small to be targets for the blade, and so only stopped a few hundred metres ahead when they saw that the others weren't following. They looked back in surprise at the attack they had missed. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw who the attacker was; Kankuro no Sabaku, the puppeteer. Naruto bent his knees as he prepared to attack. He did not have the time to waste on this second rate shinobi, so he'd have to go all out and finish the fight quickly. He took out a kunai, only to be stopped as Shino said his name.

"Naruto," Shino said. "I shall be his opponent. You go and find Sasuke and Gaara." Naruto looked hard at Shino. They had bonded a little during the course of the exams. Like Naruto, Shino had been shunned also because of his clan's specialty, the Kikaichu bugs, bugs that lived inside his body. Shino might not have known about Kyuubi, but he understood what Naruto was going through when people wouldn't interact with him because of who he was. Slowly, Naruto replaced his kunai and nodded once to Shino.

"Come on, Sakura, let's go," He said, and turned away. Sakura looked at him and Shino, surprised.

"What are you talking about, Naruto!? Those sand ninja are very strong. We can't just leave Shino to fight this guy."

"Shino can deal with this by himself," Naruto said, gripping Sakura's arm and forcing her to jump away with him. "Besides, do you want to save Sasuke or not?" Sakura was torn, but in the end she caved in, just as Naruto knew she would. Kankuro smirked and sent his puppet, Karasu, to stop them. Gaara needed time to recover, and just one Konoha ninja, a tired Uchiha, would not be able to kill Gaara. But with re-enforcements, a lot of damage could be done. He needed to stop these three. Temari could handle the Uchiha until Gaara recovered. The puppet sailed toward Naruto and Sakura, but before it even got within ten metres of its target, Shino suddenly appeared in front of it. Kankuro's smirk grew bigger as he unsheathed one of Karasu's blades. The Konoha ninja was impaled, but a second later, he turned into a black mass of bugs. Kankuro cursed. He should have suspected something. The black bugs covered Karasu, severing all his chakra strings in the process. He looked onwards in shock. This had never happened before. He growled, looking around. Already the blond ninja and the pink haired one were well out of his reach. He needed to eliminate this opponent before he dared go after the others.

"I already said," Kankuro heard a voice from behind him say. "I shall be your opponent." Kankuro turned round in time to see and dodge the punch from the creepy bug kid. He swerved out of the way and jumped back to a safe distance. He had seen the effects of those chakra sucking bugs the creep used. He formed several seals, releasing Karasu and sealing the puppet back into a scroll. The black bugs fell away into a pool like form, having no solid objects to support them. He formed several more seals, bringing Karasu out again. He panted slightly. He had already fought this creep once in the Chunin Exams, and his flight, and fight with the Uchiha, had severely drained his reserved. He would need all his wits about him to beat this one, especially since he couldn't afford to get Karasu caught by those black bugs again. He formed his chakra strings, making Karasu float in the air. He smiled.

"I'm going to enjoy killing a Konoha ninja," Kankuro said, unsheathing the blades Karasu carried in his wooden arms.

XXX

Naruto ran right behind Pakkun, Gamakichi resting on top of his head, having decided it was pointless and too much trouble to run when there was no need for his tracking the enemy. However, he still wanted his treats, and to play, so he tagged along, not going back home. Sakura looked at Naruto, worry in her eyes. He had definitely improved. It took an immense amount of chakra to summon and good chakra control. Summoning jutsu were only done by Chunin level ninja and above. For him to have summoned this toad, who knew him, which meant he had summoned the toad before, it must mean that he had had this power for a while now. Sasuke wouldn't take to that very well. Sasuke had gotten the Ninken summoning contract from Kakashi-sensei, but summoning dogs and summoning toads that could grow to about one hundred metres were two different things. And not to mention Naruto seemed to have gotten really strong. That Lightning jutsu of his, one he invented on his own, was very good. She sighed. This was going to make working as a team harder, not to mention Sasuke more distant, which would make her goal all the more difficult. Why could Naruto not do her any favors and keep low?

"Keep sharp, Sakura," Naruto said without turning to face her. "We are about to face someone who has had a great demon, like the Kyuubi that attacked Konoha thirteen years ago, sealed into him. He knows how to use its powers, and things will not be easy. I do not need you to be weak, understood?" Sakura looked at him in, first in surprise and shock, and then in slight annoyance. Did he really expect her to keep up with his crazy stamina? And how exactly did he know about Gaara being a container? She was not very surprised, after seeing Gaara's psychotic behavior. He was a monster, so why be surprised that he had one sealed inside him? She gave a sound of contempt, and for a brief moment later, a moment she later convinced herself she had imagined, she felt a bright, powerful flare of killer intent from Naruto, a flare so powerful it froze her for a second, which nearly resulted in her dropping fifty metres to the hard, cold, ground. But after a second, the flare was gone, and her motor functions returned. She gave Naruto a worried look. Just what was going on here that she didn't understand?

XXX

"Ugh," Sasuke grunted. His entire body was in pain. The Cursed Seal had, for the time being, stopped all his motor functions from working properly. He could barely move, let alone fight that monster that now stood in front of him, mocking him.

"Is this the power of the great Uchiha Clan? Pitiful!" Gaara said. Half his body had been consumed by sand, transforming the consumed parts into miniature likenesses of the great Sand Demon, Shukaku.

"I should finish you now, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara said in his deep, demonic voice. "You no longer amuse me." Sasuke tried to get up, but could not. He knelt on the tree branch, panting. He had some minor internal bleeding, and almost no external bleeding. However, he had been too rash, again, and it had cost him. Half his body was consumed by the Cursed Seal. He had tried to perform the Chidori a fourth time, knowing his limit was three. He should have paid better attention to Kakashi-sensei's warning, and because he didn't, he was suffering greatly because of it. He knew it was only because of the Cursed Seal's power that he was alive now. He spat out some blood. This was certainly an undesirable situation.

"Let me feel, Uchiha Sasuke! Die!" With that, Gaara launched his **Suna Hoippu**, his Sand Whip. It sped toward at Sasuke, whose Sharingan eyes made it seem as if it took an eternity for the attack to reach him, which made it all the more unbearable. He was infuriated, his eyes blazing. Gaara smirked as Sasuke was hit all over the place, unable to defend himself. "Do you feel it, Uchiha Sasuke? Your death is growing near, but not near enough!" With that, Gaara retracted his Sand Whip and lowered his centre of gravity, gathering a large amount of chakra. From the corner of his left eye, Sasuke could see a frightened Temari no Sabaku standing on a tree branch. She gulped and jumped away, tripling the distance between her and the combatants. He frowned, despite his pain. This was not looking good for him. Not good at all.

"**Chisemi!**" A bright yellow flash appeared beside Gaara, and a moment later, a black orb with turquoise spikes impacted into the sand shinobi. The Shield of Sand managed to stop most of it, especially after being reinforced by the power of the Shukaku himself. However, half of the attack managed to penetrate the defense, hitting Gaara in the ribs. The Demon of the Sand howled in fury more than in pain as he was sent flying because of the speed behind the attack. Naruto jumped back from Gaara and landed in front of Sasuke, his centre of gravity lowered and prepared to fight. From the corner of his eye, Naruto assessed Sasuke's condition. It wasn't good. The Cursed Seal was covering most of Sasuke's body by this point, trying to conserve the young Uchiha's life. However, Sasuke's body wasn't as yet used to the Cursed Seal, and so was rejecting the help. But the Cursed Seal was designed for aiding as well as protecting, so it simply barreled through Sasuke's body defenses, and the body retaliated with more force, resulting in Sasuke's state. The ping-pong effect was not helping Sasuke's body one bit. Kakashi's **Evil Sealing Method** was keeping the majority of the Cursed Seal's effects at bay, but Sasuke's will had crumbled. He had resorted to the Cursed Seal to win this fight, and so his body was suffering greatly. He would be useless for quite some time. Naruto looked back toward a slowly rising Gaara.

"Your dependence on the Seal is unbecoming of an Uchiha, Sasuke," Naruto said, taking out a kunai. As he predicted, Sasuke's will flared back to life, his naturally offensive nature rebuking that comment. In an instant half of the Seal's effects were cancelled, and some of Sasuke's motor functions returned. Good. At least now he wouldn't be a hindrance.

"Don't get so cocky, idiot," Sasuke said, standing up, "Just because you beat the Hyuga genius and learned one good move. I'm in another league."

"Your current situation shows," Naruto said dryly, leading to Sasuke gritting his teeth in anger. The idiot was right, even though he wouldn't admit it. His situation was not the best, especially for a shinobi that had just entered a war.

"Naruto!" a voice admonished from above, and a moment later, Sakura landed next to Sasuke, Pakkun and Gamakichi right behind her. "Don't say such things. Sasuke-kun is doing his best as a genius shinobi." Naruto's lips quirked slightly, despite the danger that was now glaring at the Konoha ninja.

"Then I Konoha's famous talented ninja are slowly waning in power if this is the best a so-called genius can do." Sasuke glared at him, but was level-headed enough not to start a fight with the blond haired shinobi. There were bigger fish to fry, for the time being.

"Yo, Sasuke," Pakkun said, resting on his laurels. He turned to Naruto. "We lost sight of you a while back. You were moving too fast for us, so we just kept pace and got here as soon as we could." Naruto slowly nodded, the kunai in his hand rising to Naruto's face.

"Sorry about that, but I felt the killer intent coming from this place. I figured Sasuke was in deep trouble, especially with the amount of fear and blood I could smell." Sasuke growled. Fear? An Uchiha did not radiate fear! "Not you, idiot," Naruto continued, not needing to look behind to know Sasuke was getting angrier by the second. He, Sasuke Uchiha, had been saved by the dead last student. "The Sand Kunoichi, Temari no Sabaku," Naruto said, jerking his head in Temari's direction. "She's pretty strong, and knows Gaara best, apart maybe from that Kankuro guy. If she was afraid of him, then something big must be about to happen."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gaara laughed maniacally, his sides heaving. "The more the merrier. I have come to love the taste of Konoha shinobi blood. It has an exciting tinge of fear mixed into it that I cannot resist." With that, he launched his attack.

XXX

"**Hakkesho Kaiten!**" The shout did not remove Hiashi's focus from the enemies he now faced. They were in the first stage of dealing with an invasion, but Hiashi knew it was no possible. There were simply too many civilians around to worry about to be able to fight unhindered. With speed and skill that could only be attributed to an Elite Konoha Jonin, and a Hyuga Head, he dispatched the seven shinobi that had cornered some venders who were trying to make it to one of the safe houses around Konoha.

"Follow me," he instructed, not breaking his calm, collected, demeanor. He turned round, saying, "Neji, I need you to –" he stopped in surprise, for the person he had heard perform the Main House jutsu was not Neji, his nephew, but Hinata, his own daughter. For a moment, and for one of the few times in his entire laugh, his demeanor was broken. He stared at her in shock. Not only had she managed to learn a Main House jutsu within two months, she had also learnt it without his help or knowledge. Also, her chakra capacity was now on par with Neji's own. After a second, he gathered his wits about him and started walking, passing Hinata without a comment. The villagers followed, fear clearly written on their faces. After the last one of them passed Hinata, she followed behind, covering their retreat. This was what Hiashi had wanted to ask the imaginary Neji, but could not bring himself to ask his own daughter, for unknown reasons. Hinata did not comment, though her eyes narrowed slightly at her father's back. Despite her improvements, he didn't acknowledge her. Already, he had taken to his nephew over his own daughter. Hinata suspected he would chose Neji as his heir if the boy weren't a branch family member with the cursed seal on his forehead. Her Byakugan activated in anger. Why could she never seem to please the damn clan!? Why … why could she never make her father look at her with pride? As her anger increased, Hiashi momentarily stopped and looked back at her, his face calm. She met his eyes, her face set in stone, unmovable. After a second, she realized what she was doing. She was challenging the head of the Hyuga Clan, the most powerful Clan in Konoha. She set he eyes downward, blushing slightly in shame. Sanhana would not be impressed. Hiashi looked at her demure frame one second longer before resuming his brisk pace.

XXX

Naruto looked down, his eyes misted over, far away, thinking back. He thought back to those times when he was growing up within Konoha. The cold stares he was given, eyes filled with hatred. The beatings he would sometimes be given by a group of people, usually drunk, but not always so. In his eyes, he could see every incident when he had experienced pain within Konoha, which was almost every day. But he had escaped that, or so he thought. When he left Konoha, he had though that maybe he would find some people who did not look at him with eyes of hatred, but he had been wrong. No one even gave him the time of day. The world was not a trusting place, and parents did not trust their children to play with a stranger that had just strolled into town, no matter how young, and especially one with strange whisker marks on his cheeks. And besides, his teachers, Jin-sensei, Taita-sensei, and Sakumo-sensei, had not been interested in his emotional wellbeing. They were more interested in undoing the damage that had been done to his growth by Konoha Villagers, and get him strong. In his time with them, he had only had time to train, and nothing more. He barely had time enough to rest, something which was remedied by being able to meditate his weariness away. Teacher and Pupil did bond, on every occasion, but it could not go far enough to be called an actual relationship, and besides, a growing boy needed friends in his life to feel normal. But Naruto was not normal, and he had been made never to forget that, whether be it at the hands of the older Villagers who had been alive during Kyuubi no Yoko's attack, or at the hands of his teachers. The only person who had actually made Naruto feel normal was the Hokage himself, Sarutobi. And that was why he had always dreamed of being Hokage, because in his eyes, only a benedictory person like Sarutobi, like the Hokage, could be impartial and actually nice to everyone in the Village, no matter who they were. He wanted to become like that, because he did not have the heart at the time to choose the other path, the path of loneliness and darkness, and become … become like the person in front of him now. He looked up into the eyes of the container of Shukaku, the Sand Demon. He had not wanted to become what Gaara was now. Deep beneath all that malice and bloodlust, Naruto saw a scared little boy within Gaara, a lonely boy who needed some friends. Naruto had made true friends in Iruka-sensei, old man Hokage, Shino and Lee-senpai. They all understood him, and while interaction between him and them was minimal, they all had an emotional bond that would withstand time itself. Naruto had found acquaintances, close enough to be called friends perhaps, in all the other rookies, even though they were rarely on the same side. Sure he could not stand them at certain points, but he had grown to like them, had grown fond of them. His eyes narrowed at the nearly full formed miniature demon in front of him. He would save this boy from the darkness within his heart. He would save this boy from loneliness. They were too similar for Naruto to simply ignore the pain and suffering going on in Gaara's heart. Naruto was, by nature, a savior. He could not stand to see pain, in any form, and so he strived to always be the deliverer of hope, happiness, and love, despite the fact that he rarely got these gifts himself. It was why he had made it his ambition to be Hokage, despite the obstacles in his path. He took a deep breath, all the reluctance and confusion that had been stopping him from fighting to his full potential completely dispelled.

"Naruto!" Sasuke grunted in pain, a warning.

"I know, Sasuke," Naruto said, his eyes gliding over to the prone figure of Sakura, who was captured in Gaara's sand. She had put up a great fight to save them both, and for that, Naruto vowed never to be mean to her ever again, even though he knew the futility of the vow. She got on his nerves constantly, but he knew that was not fully her fault. His feelings got in the way over their relationship, something very un-shinobi like. He had been taught not to do it, and had not listened, so now he had two things to improve on, and if one thing could be said about Naruto, it was that he never broke his word. That was his Nindo. "I will save Sakura-san." _And you as well_. Naruto knew enough about his temperamental teammates not to say the thought aloud. He stood straighter, looking at Gaara. Gaara smirked with his sand demon lips.

"Have you decided to fight for yourself, Uzumaki Naruto? You are like me, so I have given you chance at redemption. I will not mind losing to someone who has known my life's strife." Naruto shook his head slowly, bending down slightly.

"I will save you, comrade Gaara, even if it costs me my life. This is where you enter the **Uzumaki Naruto: The Ninja Chronicles**, as the similar person I saved." Sasuke's mind was in confusion. What were these two talking about? Why was Naruto hesitating? He knew the opponent was strong, but that had never gotten the loud blond down before. What was going on? Gaara's smirk widened.

"I gave you a chance, Uzumaki Naruto. Now I shall kill you, and then your friends, and finally I shall destroy your village, and confirm my existence!"

Gaara jumped toward Naruto. All of his sand had gone toward this transformation, so there was no longer any Sand Whip or Sand Armor to worry about. Naruto was back in his right mind, and he knew with Gaara weakened from the damage he had taken previously, plus the slight instability the power of the Shukaku induced, this match was his to win, no matter the difficulty. All he had to do now was win it.

He easily dodged Gaara's punch, but he knew as the fight progressed, Gaara would become more ensnared by the Shukaku's power, and his fighting capability would increase. It had happened to Naruto when he had been practicing calling upon the Kyuubi's chakra. He had managed to absorb his own amount of chakra from the Kyuubi, and then as he increased the amount, his animalistic side had increased, bringing him more power, but at the cost of his sanity. He had attacked Ero-Sennin, but Jiraiya was not a Sannin for nothing. He had easily managed to knock out Naruto, before the kid's chakra could be sensed and start a panic in Konoha, and also before the kid caused any harm. The Kyuubi had been right. Naruto's total amount of chakra was equal to a third of the amount of chakra the Kyuubi had in one of his tails. It made Naruto shudder to think about the total amount of power the Kyuubi had, tails and body included, for chakra was determined by the amount of energy generated by each and every cell in the body. He also appreciated the strength the Fourth Hokage had, to be able to battle a monster like that on an equal level.

"**Futon: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!**" Gaara screamed. A great whirlwind, Gaara's Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud Great Breakthrough, erupted from his mouth, devastating the surrounding area, not to mention Naruto himself. He barely managed to move Sasuke and Gamakichi out of the way, and since neither could protect themselves effectively, he had to use his own body as a shield. He swore inwardly. Gaara had been right about one thing, even though he would not resort to that measure; if he did fight for his own survival, without other lives to think of and hinder him, he would become stronger in this fight, but that was no true strength. He would do this his way. He turned back to Gaara. Sasuke was still barely able to stand, and Gamakichi was no use in this fight. Naruto now regretted telling the young toad to stay around for his sweets. Naruto jumped toward Gaara, his hands forming seals as fast as he could, but before he had a chance to finish he was suddenly hit by fast, large, and dense sand projectiles. He was hurled back into a tree, his hands protecting his face as it was the most vulnerable from such an attack. He gritted his teeth. He could not get near the sand shinobi! Gaara smirked at him.

"This bores me, Uzumaki Naruto. My sand shuriken will finish you off very soon." Gaara launched another volley of his **Suna shuriken** just to prove his point. Naruto, who had just landed on a tree branch, could not avoid the volley in time and was thrown several feet back, his back hitting the tree trunk with a heavy thud. Gaara launched himself at Sasuke, his long sand arms extended, his black sand talons flexing. Suddenly, in front of him appeared several Naruto Shadow Clones. He smirked and swatted them all, dispelling them in a cloud of white smoke. However, that had been a distraction. The smoke was quickly cleared up as Naruto's attack came through it, leveling everything in its path. Naruto's **Futon: Daitoppa**, his Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, hit Gaara head on and sent him flying back twenty metres into a tree. But Naruto was not finished. Several more shadow clones came and attacked Gaara with fast, strong, chakra enforced palm strikes, compressing Gaara between to increase the potency of their attacks. Finally, the both hit Gaara with twin upwards palm strikes, sending Gaara flying into the air. The real Naruto was standing on a tree branch, gathering a large amount of chakra quicker than anyone could have imagined possible for a genin.

_So much chakra…_Sasuke thought, shielding himself slightly. There was so much chakra that his bare eyes could almost see it. _What is he planning exactly?_ But Naruto simply kept the large amount of chakra, focusing on not letting it dissipate. He looked at the clones as if waiting for something. Sasuke looked up and saw that the shadow clones had not dissipated. They were still attacking. Taking advantage of the fact that Gaara couldn't move in the air, they each aimed a Dragon Fire jutsu at the same spot, Gaara's chest. _That Ryuka no jutsu is as strong as an Uchiha fire jutsu!_ Sasuke realized. _The flames were a different colour from a normal one, but that definitely was the Ryuka no jutsu, and it was as powerful as mine!_ By the time they were finished, there was a small but clear hole through Gaara's sand. Sasuke could see that Gaara's chest was badly burnt, his skin burnt off and he was bleeding. Gaara screamed in rage as he landed on a tree branch. Sand quickly covered the exposed damage, and Gaara aimed killer intent at the shadow clones. He extended his hands, and the claws went for the shadow clones. But even though they were merely shadow clones, they were far too fast and wily to be hit by such a direct and slow attack. They easily jumped back and started jumped toward Gaara, moving as fast as they could. Gaara quickly retracted his sand enhanced arms and started attacking the clones. However, every time he landed a hit, the shadow clone would perform the Substitution technique and be replaced by a log. As Gaara's anger rose, the shadow clones avoided his sand attacks one more time and managed to get behind Gaara. They thrust a kunai into Gaara's butt, and Pakkun and Sasuke couldn't help but look at them in astonishment.

"An enema?" Pakkun said in disbelief.

_The idiot hasn't changed_, thought Sasuke. _All that effort and the shadow clones only managed to get one hit in, and an ineffective one at that._ However, both parties were silenced as the kunai exploded. There had been exploding tags attached to their hilts. Temari, from her safe perch, looked on in horror as she saw that Gaara had been wounded. His sand coating was all over the place, as if the flow of chakra through it had been disrupted and it could not function properly.

_What a guy…_ Temari, sharing the same sentiment as Pakkun. _He aimed for the spot where the flow of chakra in Gaara's sand was at its weakest, which would be at the base of his tail because the sand does not extended below his thighs. Now, if only for a few seconds, Gaara's sand cannot offer full protection against attack. But this move is only the beginning of something else. From what I've heard, this guy's not that bright, so will he take the opening or was that just a fluke?_ She did not know she was sharing similar sentiments at that point with Gamakichi, Pakkun and even Sasuke. All three, plus Gaara, had forgotten the real Naruto, who had gathered a large amount of chakra. Naruto formed a seal and said, "**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**." There was a large gathering of smoke as a radius of fifty metre was covered, and when it cleared, it revealed something short of a miracle. Using his Sharingan, Sasuke counted 1,999 shadow clones covering ever available space among the trees. With Naruto, that made 2,000 Narutos. Unbelievable. Naruto pointed at the weakened Gaara and as one entity, the black garbed Narutos attacked like a black cloud of death. Only the bright blonde hair could be seen from the mass. Gaara had been completely swallowed.

"**Uzumaki Naruto Nisen Rendan!**" all the Narutos shouted as they attacked with their fists. The Uzumaki Naruto Two Thousand Combo was very effective. As the Narutos jumped back, they revealed a Gaara whose sand was completely removed from most of his body. Naruto took this chance and attacked with several shadow clones. While Gaara was just starting to fall, two shadow cloned catapulted from a tree branch, and spinning in the air, they hit Gaara in the back with powerful double heel strikes, sending him flying into the air. Two more shadow clones jumped into the air, and as Gaara started descending toward the ground, they gathered chakra into their palms, so when Gaara was a foot from a tree branch, they struck with all their momentum into Gaara's chest and abdomen with such force that Gaara broke clean through the thick tree branch and sailed like a missile toward the hard, unforgiving ground. He created a ten metre crater as he landed.

_Wow…_Temari thought. _This is seriously not good. I can feel __**it**__ stirring. He is about to unleash __**that jutsu!**_ She jumped away, and Sasuke, who had finally recovered some motor function, jumped away as well, following her lead. It paid to heed warnings like that, especially in is state. Pakkun and Gamakichi followed. Naruto had noticed Temari's retreat, and he waited tersely for Gaara's move. His combined combo of different attacks had definitely injured Gaara to a large extent, and Naruto suspected the more damage he dealt, the more Shukaku's destructive personality would come to the top, it's sense of self-preservation lending Gaara more power. But Naruto knew Gaara was severely weakened now, and that would increase the sand shinobi's sense of desperation. And when powerful shinobi like him were desperate, they resorted to more powerful and definitive jutsu.

"AH!" Gaara screamed as he got back onto his feet. It was clear he was in pain, but what was more clear was the rage boiling underneath his skin. Gaara got flashbacks to when he had been talking to Naruto in the waiting room of the third stage of the Chunin Exams. The kid back then barely had any shinobi aura. He had felt weak and uncertain, and the only thing that made Gaara waste his time on him was that he knew the boy was a container, but not for which demon. And then he flashed back to his first fighting encounter with the boy. Even then he had been nothing special. But now as Gaara looked up to the real crouching Naruto, he sensed a powerful aura, maybe even more powerful than his own, and what's more, he sensed an inner power he could not identify. "I cannot lose to this guy!" he shouted, venting all his rage. At least being beaten by a genius would have been better, but still not acceptable. But this guy was a nobody, and he refused to go down. He extended his right hand, destroying all the shadow clones in one sweeping motion, and injuring Naruto in the process. 1,999 shadow clones dispersing will generate a lot of smoke, and so Naruto wasn't at all surprised when visibility was reduced to zero. However, he was surprised by what he saw when the smoke cleared. There, standing one hundred metres tall was none other than Shukaku himself. Naruto had made a point of learning all he could about the Great Demons, and he was grateful that he had been able to come across illustrations of them in the older section of Konoha's Academy Library. Shukaku laughed.

"I had not planned on showing you this form, the ultimate form, to such weaklings as you, but you have earned death at these claws I think, Uzumaki Naruto," Gaara said. Naruto realized that Gaara had found some way to access the Shukaku, and this form was a combination of both demon and shinobi, with Gaara controlling the power of the Shukaku. He shivered. Was he able to do such a thing, and if he was, would he really work together with Kyuubi toward such a form? Shukaku was not a bright demon, despite his power, and so both demon and shinobi shared the same goal; blood and death. This was why they went so well together, why they could achieve such feats without trouble. He did not look forward to the day Kyuubi and him shared enough of a similar goal to synchronize like this.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, and in his panic he forgot about his condition. Because he tried to move so fast, his body completely seized up. He fell to his knees, unable to move. But his shout had alarmed Naruto, who saw that sand was quickly forming around him, and before he could perform an escape maneuver, his body was caught in Gaara's Desert Coffin. This was it. He could barely move, and he had used up most of his chakra with his shadow clones. He had plenty of jutsu and plans he had thought up to fight Gaara, but the information cards he had pick pocketed from Kabuto had not told him about this. He doubted he could fight such an apparition.

_You gain great strength when you are fighting to protect your precious person_. Haku. Naruto did not know why the kunoichi's words now echoed through his head, but he knew they were true. Haku had gone to great lengths to protect Zabuza, and she had nearly given her life, if Naruto had not intervened. So who was Naruto protecting? The ungrateful Sasuke? The unaware Sakura? Who? The answer came to him after a few seconds of thought. Sure he was protecting his teammates. They were one of the few people to acknowledge him, and even though they got on his nerves constantly, he did not wish death upon them. But there was a greater entity he was protecting, a greater precious person. He did not know it, but at that exact same time, Orochimaru was referring to this entity as an organization, an organization he would finally be able to destroy. Naruto was protecting Konoha.

XXX

_**Back again, are we?**__ the voice said, bored and excited at the same time. Naruto looked up at Kyuubi, his face neutral. __**Who was it that said, "I don't need your power, you stinking fox!" when I offered my powers in exchange for my release from this irksome prison?**__ Naruto did not even blink._

"_**You have no choice, Kyuubi," **__Naruto said. The Kyuubi laughed, it's malice filled voice echoing throughout Naruto's subconscious. _

_**Boy, your spine amuses me to no end!**__ The Kyuubi laughed again, more to disconcert Naruto than out of real amusement, but Naruto did not rise up to the challenge. He gazed up at the Kyuubi, and then a small smile played across his lips. The Kyuubi noticed and stopped laughing at once. It narrowed its eyes at the young shinobi. __**You are always running to me for power when a threat bigger than you can handle arises. You are weak, boy, despite all your 'training'. You need me boy, and the sooner you realize it, the better your life will be.**_

"_**True,"**__ Naruto said, "__**But this time I will be doing you a favor. I'm fighting the Shukaku's container. You are a prideful demon, Kyuubi. Do you really want the Shukaku's container to be able to beat the Kyuubi's container. I don't think so, despite what you are going to say. Besides, I now know that if I die, so will you, and before you go and admonish me about how I will not risk my lives for others, I shall inform you that you are wrong. I will defend Konoha, with my life, because that is what a Hokage does. You cannot dissuade me otherwise, so hurry up and make your decision!**_

_The Kyuubi looked at Naruto, its eyes glowing bright red. Who was this kid, a mere child and no powerful shinobi, not like the Fourth Hokage, to demand from him, the King of all Demons? After a second of sending ineffective killer intent at the child, he laughed. The kid had guts, that was for sure, guts he would enjoy gorging on one day when the Fourth's Seal weakened and he could make his escape._

_**He he he, come closer, kid,**__ Kyuubi said. Naruto complied, coming to stand immediately in front of the golden bars of the Kyuubi's prison. Suddenly, the Kyuubi attacked, its talons aiming for Naruto's head. And like last time, Naruto raised his right hand, expecting to block the giant talon. But, unlike last time, he felt the sharp point of Kyuubi's talon pierce his palm, and a second later he watched blood spurt from the wound. But the attack only penetrated a few millimeters before the gate glowed gold and Naruto's chakra flared in a blue conflagration and defended against the Kyuubi. But the Kyuubi did not seem to mind. In fact, it seemed to be expected it. it lowered its head, and a great tongue came out and licked the blood that had landed on the golden bars off it. Its eyes glowed red. __**Don't sully my reputation and degrade it to your level, brat!**__ Naruto looked at his palm, and unable to see anything through the blood and his glove's black cloth, he removed it, washing the blood off with his glove. He gasped. On his palm was a black mark in the shape of a circle with nine spikes coming off it. The Kyuubi laughed as red chakra seeped through the bars of the gate and went for the black mark, seeping into Naruto's body._

XXX

Sasuke gasped as he felt Naruto gathering a large amount of chakra from within the sand. After a second, he heard the blond yell, "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come out, Gamabunta!**" Gamakichi jumped onto the sand just as there was a large burst of white smoke that was even larger than when Gaara had destroyed all those shadow clones. Sasuke knew who, or what, Gamabunta was. The tale of the Fourth's fighting companion was well known throughout Konoha. How could a mere genin, an idiot, like Naruto be able to call forth such a beast, especially in his condition. As the smoke cleared, however, it turned out that Naruto **was** able to call forth the Toad King. Naruto was crouched on Gamabunta's head, his posture suggesting his readiness for battle. Sasuke's Sharingan caught the red eyes of his companion, and the slit like pupils. Naruto had changed.

_Just what are you?_ he thought.

"Amazing…" Pakkun said. This kid was definitely something else. Gaara laughed, holding his sides as he bellowed.

"This is interesting, Uzumaki Naruto!" Gamabunta took out his pipe, looking at the Shukaku, and blew out some smoke.

"Why have you summoned me, Naruto? And what's more, why to this troublesome place? I have no wish to fight this monster."

"I need you help, Sir," Naruto said, his voice sounding more animalistic. Gamabunta eyes him with one eye, noticing the changes instantly. _So he has had to resort to the Kyuubi's power, eh? He needs it to summon me anyways, but for him to take so much that his appearance changes … this must be bad. Jiraiya told me how Naruto abhors the Nine Tails._

"No," Gamabunta said simply. Naruto balked slightly, but his posture did not change. He had not expected better. The last time he had called the Toad King, he had ended up riding on the Toad King's head for twelve hours, ending in his suffering from chakra exhaustion. The Toad King did not like being summoned by talentless ninja, and Naruto fell into that category. Naruto had managed to make himself the Toad King's subordinate after those twelve grueling hours, but the Toad King had a strange sense of honor and loyalty. "We haven't even shared a bottle of sake yet." Naruto gritted his teeth, trying to think of something that would get the Toad King to fight for him.

"Please, pops," a voice said from behind Naruto. Naruto looked back in shock as he saw Gamakichi jump onto his head. "This guy is pretty interesting. He's been able to fight equally with that guy over there, and he's been a great playmate for the last two months. That guy tried to bully me, but Naruto here saved me, and even endangered himself doing so. He may not be a genius, but he's got guts pops. Don't treat him that way." Throughout, Gamabunta's eyes had been slowly narrowing. No one bullied his family, no one.

"Is that so?" he asked dangerously. "Alright kid, you are officially my subordinate. I'll fight for you!" With that, Gamabunta launched himself at Gaara's Shukaku form, his blade unsheathed. Naruto had to use chakra to cling on to the Toad King's skin as they moved forward at a speed he would have never thought he would experience. Gamabunta brought his blade up at the last second, catching Gaara of guard and rending off one of Gaara's arms, his left one.

"Don't go in this direction, sir!" Naruto said. "Konoha's that way, not to mention Sasuke and Sakura-chan!" Gamabunta grunted in acknowledgement. He brought his blade to the ready, looking at Gaara for his next move. He did not expect what he saw. Gaara slowly came out of Shukaku's head.

_So that is the medium…_ Gamabunta barely listened to Gaara's short monologue as he realized what the kid was about to do. He had lived long, long enough to have seen the Great Demons in all their glory, and he knew just what power a container could use as a last resort against a powerful enemy. He quickly warned Naruto, who asked him what he should do, to which he said that Naruto must wake up the medium. Just after he said this, Gaara finished his Forced Sleep technique, and immediately after, the Shukaku's form's eyes turned bright yellow, and a huge killer intent started roiling off it.

"Kyuubi!" Shukaku roared, its mad cackle a huge screech. "Where are you hiding!? I can feel your aura. Come out and fight like a demon. We have unfinished business." It seemed totally unaware of the giant toad standing in front of it, instead sniffing the air, trying to sniff out the Kyuubi. There were many things that were quick to raise Gamabunta's anger, but among the worst at doing so were his kin being threatened … and being underestimated. If this demon thought to ignore him, then it would pay. Gamabunta knew he could not defeat it, but for a few minutes, his anger overcame his rational mind. He attacked.

"**Suiton: Teppodama!**" he said as he used his Water Release: Gunshot. The water Gunshot sailed toward Shukaku, who was too absorbed in his search for Kyuubi to dodge. He was hit, and he howled in pain. He looked at Gamabunta in time to see and stop the blade from piercing his side. He knocked the Toad into the air, forcing the blade out of Gamabunta's hands in the process. The blade landed in between the two combatants, shining brightly. Shukaku seemed to notice Gamabunta for the first time.

"Are you the bastard that cut off my arm? I've finally found someone I want to kill! You may not be Kyuubi, but you'll do! **Futon: Renkudan!**" The Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet made its way toward Gamabunta, who leaped into the air to avoid it. While in the air, he aimed three Gunshots at Shukaku, who countered with his own Drilling Air Bullets. But Shukaku had aimed four Drilling Air Bullets, which meant that one went straight for Gamabunta, hitting him head on an generating a large explosion of chakra. From the smoke, Gamabunta emerged, enraged, but once again back to his senses. Naruto noticed.

"Are you ready, sir?" he asked. Gamabunta replied affirmative. Naruto nodded. He formed the ram seal and concentrated. He needed to transform both of them into an animal with the capabilities to get in close to Shukaku so he could awaken Gaara and dispel the jutsu. He smiled as an image came into his head. He knew when they met next, a certain someone would be more smug than usual. "**Henge!**" he shouted, and in a plume of smoke, both Naruto and the Toad King transformed into one entity. Sasuke frowned as he saw the creature emerge. It was … a fox, a nine tailed fox. Just what was Naruto thinking?

_Boss, are you ready?_ Naruto asked.

_As ready as I'll ever be, kid_, Gamabunta replied. Naruto nodded. Being one entity was … itchy. But he had no time to concentrate on that. Instead, he coordinated with Gamabunta, forming a large attack. While the Toad King shot oil from its mouth, Naruto formed seals for his own attack, and so it seemed to anyone watching that the huge fox bellowed a huge stream of hot fir from its mouth, very hot fire.

"That hurt, damn it," Shukaku bellowed, and aimed several Drilling Air Bullets at the fox, all of which were dodged with ease, but with dodge, the fox was moving away from Shukaku a little.

_Damn it_, both Gamabunta and Naruto thought. However, they did not give up. Gamabunta aimed several Gunshots in the guise of the fox, and Naruto added to the attacks by using his Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, so it seemed as if the fox was shooting several attacks from its mouth, all of them different elements. Finally, Naruto used a huge chunk of his demon fox chakra and performed the Earth Release: Earth Flow River, which caught Shukaku off-balance as the ground beneath him started to move. He staggered, but the fox wasn't done, it seemed. Sasuke saw the fox grab its chest with a claw and breathe in deeply. He knew it must be costing Naruto a lot of chakra to use these attacks, so where was his power coming from? The fox used Fire Release: Covering Mist Technique to cover Shukaku's body with flammable gas, and then used the Ryuka no Jutsu to ignite it, adding more power and damage. Although the attacks failed to get near Gaara to induce enough pain to wake him up, they nevertheless damaged Shukaku a lot. Shukaku screamed in rage, aiming three Drilling Air Bullets at the fox, who got hit by all three. Naruto and Gamabunta barely managed to keep up the **Henge** through all the pain racking their bodies. As the time of Shukaku's release increased, so did his full power slowly return. There had been a lot of damaging chakra mixed into those Wind attacks. But getting hit had served them well. They finally managed to get in close enough to Shukaku, and with one jump, they landed in front of him. The fox grabbed onto Shukaku.

_Now, kid!_ Gamabunta screamed. Naruto released the **Henge** as he jumped toward Gaara and hit him square in the face with a fierce punch. Gaara awoke in a splutter, pain evident in his eyes.

"No!" Shukaku screamed. "I had just come out! And I still haven't found you, Kyuubi! Damn you all, bastard!" But the technique had been dispelled, and Shukaku returned to his prison. Gaara gritted his teeth, looking at the partially transformed Naruto, at the red eyes and slit like pupils, at the long sharp nails and at the longer and sharper teeth, especially the canines.

"So you managed to dispel my jutsu…" Gaara looked down at the blond boy, wondering where all his strength came from. Gaara knew he had been partially injured by the Uchiha's jutsu, but he knew even though if he had fought Uzumaki Naruto when he was fresh, he would have lost. _Damn you, where do you get all your strength from!?_ Gaara formed a seal, and the sand around Naruto started stirring. But Naruto was not ignorant, and he immediately started running, easily dodging them. He formed his own set of hand seals and formed the **Chisemi** in his right hand. He jumped and lunged at Gaara, aiming for the sand shinobi's chest. He did not want to kill the sand shinobi, after all. But Gaara grabbed the vulnerable Naruto in the air with his sand, effectively stopping Naruto's attack. Naruto fought hard against the Sand's hold, and his right hand slowly went forward. But he could not keep up the **Chisemi**, especially in his condition, so he let it go. He had used the last remains of his chakra with that attack, and he could feel his transformed eyes, hands and teeth returning to normal. He cursed. He was completely out of chakra, and right now he could think of no attack to aid him. Cursing all the spirits in existence, his head lunged forward with a cure, head butting Gaara. Gaara, who was out of chakra himself and struggling to keep holding the Konoha ninja, was finally forced to release his jutsu. The sand formed Shukaku slowly withered away until both Gaara and Naruto were left standing in empty air. They fell toward the foliage of the trees. Naruto cursed. He may not have chakra, but he would use his bare fists if need be. With a cry, he jumped toward Gaara, who looked on in surprise. He could barely move, but he jumped toward the Uzumaki, defiance in his eyes.

_Where are you getting your strength from!?_ Gaara's thoughts were interrupted as the strong fist hit him square in the jaw, sending him sailing toward the ground. Naruto, too tired to do anything, fell toward the ground. He hit it hard, but he wouldn't stop. Gaara was the strongest threat Konoha faced, and so he had to be removed. Gaara saw the Konoha shinobi, clearly exhausted beyond compare, but slowly crawling toward him wit fiery determination in his eyes. He raised hands, but he was completely drained of chakra. The sand would not obey his commands. He let his hand fall to the ground. This was it. The end. He had been defeated. Now he would face death. As he looked at the crawling shinobi, he suddenly knew what power drove this shinobi. He had heard his father speak of it prior to their trip to the Fire Country.

_Konohagakure no Sato is said to worship no deity in particular_, Gaara remembered the Kazekage saying, _but instead they believe in the Will of Fire. This is what drives the Konoha shinobi to success … I want you to eliminate the Fire, Gaara…_

So this shinobi was a proud example of the Will of Fire. He had lost.

"I know how you feel," Naruto said. "That gaping loneliness inside you that threatened to eat you whole. That pain in your heart when you see people look at you in fear and disgust. I know how you felt when you came to a crossroads, deciding whether or not to join these people or destroy them for how they treated you. I once nearly turned to that path, but then I found someone who acknowledged me, and life suddenly became easier. I trained to become like that person, to be strong, and in doing so I found even more people who acknowledge my efforts. Although most of the village hates me, there are a select few people who I know I can count on no matter what, and its those people I fight for. I shall not let you destroy their home and take their lives from them, even if it means breaking my promise to save you from that loneliness, that darkness."

"Enough, Naruto!" Suddenly, nine shinobi, genin, jumped from the trees. Kiba held an unconscious Sakura in his arms, and the others, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Tenten, Shino, Hinata, Neji and finally Sasuke, who was smiling at Naruto slightly, landed in a semi circle around Naruto. Naruto slumped in relief. He did not have to use **that** jutsu to stop Gaara after all. The presence of the entire graduating genin of his class meant only one thing; the second stage of Konoha's Invasion manual was finished. They would be moving onto the third and final stage shortly. Temari and Kankuro suddenly landed beside Gaara, their expressions set. They would fight for Gaara and their lives, even though they knew they could not win.

"Stop," Gaara suddenly said, and to everyone's surprise, including the two Suna shinobi, they stopped. Neji capitalized on this was a blur of movement as he sailed toward the off guard enemy ninja. Naruto looked down into his right hand. He had been about to eat the three soldier pills to fuel his body so he could use his ultimate jutsu, but now he needed their power for something else. He knew he would probably not survive taking three soldier pills, especially in his condition, but his power was needed. He quickly ate them as Neji passed his position, and in under a second he felt revitalized. He was up and moving faster than even Sasuke could track in his tired state. Just as Neji was about to strike, a blond blur came in front of him, forcing him to jump back. He cursed slightly. He was still unsure of where he stood when it concerned the blond ninja, but right now he was not above attacking Naruto for the good of Konoha. Naruto looked at him, his eyes telling Neji that he would fight to his last to stop him. Neji relaxed and stepped back. He had been defeated enough for one day, and he was in no condition to fight someone who had taken three soldier pills.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Kiba yelled, and everyone else shared similar sentiments, apart from Sasuke and a slowly waking Sakura. Naruto ignored them and went to the three sand shinobi. Temari and Kankuro tensed, but they noticed, for once in his life, Gaara seemed at peace, so they did not act. Naruto took a scroll from one of the pouches on his vest. He opened it, smeared some blood on it and let it drop onto Gaara. He then knelt and released chakra continuously onto the scroll. Gaara's wounds were healing. But Naruto did not want to waste all his chakra healing Gaara, so he only healed the internal wounds before stopping. The scroll poofed out of existence.

"Go," Naruto said gently. "Head west, there will be few patrols there, if any. Once out of the Fire Country, you can head back toward Sunagakure no Sato." He stood up and headed back toward the other genin.

"Why are you doing this?" Temari asked. Naruto stopped and looked back. "Because I made a promise," he said. "Now go." Not needing to be told twice, Temari and Kankuro grabbed Gaara and fled. Naruto looked back toward the other genin.

"You can curse me later. Right now we are needed in Konoha. The third stage has begun."

"The third stage?" Kiba asked. Naruto's lips curled slightly. It seemed dog breath was not as smart as he first appeared to be.

"That's when Konoha troops fight back, right?" Sakura said in a groggy voice. "The first stage of the Invasion manual is to fight the enemy's vanguard, the second is to make sure all civilians are safe, and the final one is for all shinobi to fight unhindered and with full force." Naruto nodded. His pupils were once more slit like, but his eyes were still blue. He looked in the direction of Konoha, part of his mind hoping his faith in Gaara had not been misplaced, while another was assessing their current situation.

"There's the signal," he said. In the distance, so far away that only Naruto, Sasuke, Neji and Hinata seemed to be able to see, was a large and proud falcon flying over Konoha. "The Great Golden Falcon, Ho-o, Konoha's Phoenix and the embodiment of the Will of Fire. The counter attack has begun. We should move out, now!" Not wanting to argue at such a time, the genin leapt into the trees, leaving only Neji standing beside Naruto. Naruto looked into Neji's eyes, not blinking.

"I will change the Hyuga for you, Neji-san, when I become Hokage, so that sacrifice like the great one your father made will not be forced, and will not be necessary." Neji curled a lip. He knew Naruto would keep any promise he made, but at the same time he refused to acknowledge that a dropout like him could accomplish anything greater than he could. He stood there, thinking, until he snapped out of his trance and leapt into the trees, right behind his comrades. This was not the time to think about such things. Naruto looked in the direction Gaara had taken, thinking, before he jumped toward Konoha. There were vermin that needed to be exterminated. Part of him wondered if he would come out of this invasion alive.

XXX

… _Uzumaki Naruto, hey? …_ Gaara was thinking about the strange meeting he had had with the blond haired Konoha shinobi who understood him like no other could.

"Temari? Kankuro?" the two shinobi looked at Gaara in surprise. He seemed so subdued, so uncertain. They had never seen Gaara so worn out. " … I'm sorry…" This was the last thing they expected from the Sand Village's Ultimate Weapon, but after a second they looked at each other, and realized he was not a weapon, but their baby brother.

"Uh … it's alright, Gaara," Kankuro said, unsure of this new transformation in Gaara that boded no ill toward people.

"Everything will be alright," Temari said, and she believed it. It seemed that the Uzumaki kid had not only affected Gaara.

XXX

**My longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed. Gave me a headache writing it, so sorry if it seems a bit sloppy.**


	17. Volume 1: The Fourth's Legacy

Four months. That's how long it had been. Four long, sad, and relatively quiet months. A lot had happened, and yet the village had a calm demeanor about it. The failed Invasion by Sunagakure and Otogakure was still fresh in people's minds. That had been the first war the village had taken part in fourteen years. Some people, especially the younger generation, were still getting used to the after effects of mass slaughter as a means of survival. The rookie nine alone had had to do so much to stay alive against the invading force of powerful genin, chunin and even jonin. They had had to work extremely hard and extremely well together and even then Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and Choji had taken serious injuries. Naruto was barely able to move by the time Suna and Oto were retreating, but still he forged on. He had followed some ANBU after he heard Kakashi and Gai discussing the fate of the Hokage. They were still occupied with cleaning up the remainder of the enemies' forces and so could not go to the Hokage's aid, but Naruto had no such duties. He had mustered up all his remaining energy to follow the swift moving ANBU, but still had been barely able to keep them in sight. When he had gotten to the roof top, there was a purple field that prevented anyone from interfering. As Naruto landed, he had seen that only three ANBU were left to watch over the Hokage, the rest securing up the Village and the surrounding perimeter. He had seen the purple chakra field and asked what the ANBU had tried to do to get through, and was very surprised and a little angered that they had done absolutely nothing. He had looked at the field, his mind churning. He had already sacrificed a lot, why not jump the extra mile? With suspense coursing throughout his body, he had watched as the giant tree was slowly released, revealing a mortally wounded Sarutobi, an injured Orochimaru, two Sound genin bodies and four other Sound ninja. He had formed his three hand seals with a sense of finality, feeling the heavy drain of chakra on his body that was making the edged of his vision blurry. He had ignored the discomfort and jumped back. Drawing upon reserves he didn't think he possessed, he had run full speed at the wall. His **Chisemi** impacted with the chakra field; he knew the Sound ninja had been keeping the field up from the time he was still in the stadium, which meant they had kept it up for more than half an hour. This was a high level jutsu, and so it sucked up a lot of chakra. He was right, and his **Chisemi** met little resistance and tore a hole in the chakra field. One of the three ANBU managed to get in with him before the field repaired itself. Naruto had run straight toward Orochimaru, his mouth a horrible snarl. He knew, from the seal he had seen on Sarutobi's stomach, that the old man would die, and that Orochimaru was responsible. He had also seen that Orochimaru was heavily weakened, and while his skills and abilities might still be far above Naruto, he was very much in pain, and the necrosis in both of his arms would handicap him terribly. But he never got to his target. The ANBU who had followed his inside suddenly attacked, and Naruto was forced to jump away from his path. As he landed, he knew that he could not win, and settled for the next best thing. He ran straight toward one of the four shinobi, who was the biggest of the lot. His **Chisemi** cut through the barrier, hitting the unsuspecting shinobi straight in the back. The injury served to make the shinobi lose his concentration, and as a result, the entire field was compromised. The other two ANBU members got in easily, and from then on, Naruto was no longer needed. The ANBU presence meant that Orochimaru and his servants had to retreat if they wanted to live. The ANBU that had attacked Naruto to stop the boy from killing Orochimaru removed his mask, revealing … a smiling Kabuto. Before the enemies retreated before the ANBU attackers, Kabuto waved a little to Naruto, which angered Naruto all the more. Naruto was about to go after them as well when he heard Sarutobi splutter. The old man was still alive! He went to the old man's side, not knowing he would be the last person to see the Third Hokage alive.

"Old man! You're alive!" Sarutobi had smiled.

"I … I could … never dissuade you … from calling me that ridiculous name …" Sarutobi coughed up blood, his eyes glazed over. "Listen, Naruto … I don't have much time … only a few more minutes at most … I wanted to … apologize … before I died…"

"Apologize? What for?" Naruto said, his voice croaky. Silent tears were coursing down his cheeks, unchecked.

"For not honoring the Fourth's wishes … he wanted me to help you … to make the villagers … realized you were not a monster … not the Kyuubi … but a hero. He wanted … you to be viewed as … a hero … that you kept the Kyuubi prisoner… I'm sorry!" Naruto hiccupped, his eyes misty.

"It's alright, old man, I forgive you." Naruto held Sarutobi's head, looking at the black seal still visible on the Third's stomach.

"Listen, Naruto … I want you to take good care of … Konohamaru … he shall inherit me … and I want you to make sure he does … and that the council … does not steal my knowledge. My scrolls are located … in the Academy's Library … in a hidden section behind the last chamber … use the _Goketsu Monogatari_… And I also … wanted to give you something … a message … from the Fourth …" Sarutobi got out a small metal rectangle and gave it to Naruto. "He said … he said you would know where to use it …" Sarutobi's breath shuddered. "It's time … for me to move on … Goodbye, Naruto. Don't give up on your dream, no matter what you go through, no matter what the village puts you through. You are better than that. You deserve better, and now I wish I had been stronger and not listened to my Advisors, and helped you more often. Here is a parting present from me, Naruto, good luck. May Peace be with you." Sarutobi handed Naruto a small golden key, and as he handed it to Naruto, all energy deserted his body. He slumped in Naruto's hands. Naruto had pocketed both presents, crying out loud. The second person to ever acknowledge him, the Third Hokage, the greatest ninja in the five shinobi nations, was dead.

XXX

Four months. Four, long, hard months, for the entire of Konoha. Orochimaru had definitely been right. Konoha was a shinobi village too used to peace. For the first month barely anything got done because people couldn't quite come to grips with what had happened, and many civilians and shinobi were suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress. The Konoha Hospital was absolutely flooded, and many medics were falling ill themselves from chakra exhaustion. By the second months, however, the Will of Fire had reinstated itself in Konoha villagers, and finally they could get some work done. Everyone lent a helping hand, every able bodied person. By the third and fourth month, the workload was reduced to experts, such as architects, who needed time and skilled labour to restore the rest of Konoha to its former glory. All the rubble and rubbish had been cleared, and all the tools and materials had been acquired on many, and sometimes dangerous, missions; for instance, to restore the Konoha Wall, Konoha's primary and very effective form of defense, needed rock and mortar from the Rock Country, and as everyone was aware, Rock and Konoha were not on good terms. And situations were not made better by the fact that Konoha had lost its shinobi force by a third, most of them being very able Chunin who would have been suitable for such team missions. But Konoha was now back on its feet, licking its wounds clean and healing very well. It would probably take a full year for all repairs to be made, and a further six months for additional defense and counter measures to be put in place. But there was one for of defense that would take a long natural course to be erected; more shinobi. For the time being, all failed genin of Naruto's class had been automatically promoted, and they were put into special teams with special teachers to teach them fast and hard what it meant to be a Konoha shinobi. But even with the hundred odd promoted genin, they were still fledglings and would be of no use for at least a year, until they gained enough experience and power for harder missions. The current genin, chunin and jonin had to deal with multiple missions consecutively with little break, and so they were quite ragged. The jonin had it especially hard, being expected to handle a minimum of seven missions each week, but no one was complaining. Konoha was big on camaraderie, and as such everyone knew their duty.

XXX

Naruto slowly exhaled his breath. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, the sky alight in an orange blaze. There was no wind, but the air was relatively cool. All was still, as if there was tension in the air. Naruto looked at Hinata, his body still. Her Byakugan was activated, giving her normally passive, calm face an intimidating demeanor. She was dressed in the classical Hyuga training _gi_, but she also wore thick wooden armour; greaves, vambraces, chest and back plates, thigh guards and stiff rubber finger tubes, which, apart from protecting her fingers also helped her to learn to keep her fingers straight to perform the **Jyuken** taijutsu correctly, and also built up bone and muscle resistance so she could use her taijutsu on harder objects than mere flesh. Naruto was also garbed similarly, apart from the fact that his wooden armour was not the Hyuga red as he was not Hyuga, but was instead sapphire blue.

Hinata stood in the Hyuga Jyuken stance while Naruto stood in the Dragon's Hidden Claws stance, which looked much like the stance for the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Strikes, apart from the fact that Naruto's fingers were all straight, if slightly curved inwards. This had surprised Sanhana, whom was watching the two from the shade of the verandah, and he had immediately deduced the internal and external nature of Naruto's taijutsu. He had seen that its major weakness was fighting an internal martial artist, like Hinata, for example, and so practicing together would help both of them quite a lot as Hinata needed to get used to fighting taijutsu that was external instead of internal.

For half an hour straight, Hinata and Naruto fought, exchanging blows and counter-blows as fast as their bodies allowed. The reason for the armour became apparent as numerous dents appeared in each combatant's defense, and they were both sported bleeding grazes on their bodies. For the first half, Hinata was not allowed to use chakra to form the chakra needles that made the Jyuken so deadly. Instead, all that was required of her was to concentrate on the forms of her taijutsu to make sure it was perfect. Despite the fact that she was on the way to developing her own original style, a powerful style, Hinata still required to learn the Jyuken to her fullest abilities. Her pride as a Hyuga demanded it, and also Sanhana said for her Mizuken to become more powerful, she needed to increase the potency and skill with which she handled one of the components of the Mizuken. For the second half, however, she was allowed to use her chakra needles, and as such, Naruto found himself sporting several, if minor, internal injuries. Although Sanhana had forced her to start her Jyuken training from scratch with him, she nevertheless was now a master of the basics, and so her blows were simple but deadly. Naruto often found himself entranced by her dance of death; the way she flowed when fighting was simply surreal. His own fighting style held a flowing, animalistic strength and grace, but Hinata … she was simply angelic.

Naruto shook his head of such thoughts and prepared to defend against Hinata's next attack. However, Sanhana stopped them short.

"That's good for today's practice. You have both made improvements, very significant, especially with the weariness you must both be feeling, what with the pressure the Advisors are placing on all shinobi to complete missions." Naruto stood from his stance and stretched. Each time he fought Hinata, she became more of a challenge to defeat. She was definitely improving. She had even won a third of their total bouts so far. Hinata also stood, stretching her tense muscles.

"But…?" Hinata prompted playfully, drawing a scowl from Sanhana.

"But," Sanhana said with some emphasis on the word, "there is always room for more improvement. Hinata, you have no mastered the basics of the Jyuken, but I still have to test you on your knowledge before you can advance. But I have faith, so we shall do the test and then I can teach you the harder elements. This is where your chakra control receives a harder whipping, for a true Hyuga, a Hyuga of the Main House, should have better chakra control than you have. Also, we shall have to start your proper Tai Chi training if that hybrid taijutsu of yours is to become any more effective. Are we clear?" The old Hinata would have balked under such reprimands, but this Hinata simply stood up straight and bowed quickly. Sanhana turned to Naruto.

"I have watched your kata, and I have watched you train your taijutsu. While I am not familiar with the style, you seem to have mastered all of the basics and then some, but it seems to me that you need to improve the fluidity of your forms. You have the power, you have the speed, you have the spirit, but your wonky form often causes you to take damage that you would otherwise not receive. And when such incidents occur, you know what I say, right?" Naruto groaned, though there was a small smile playing across his lips.

"Get back to the basics!" both Naruto and Hinata said, and then immediately laughed, drawing a deadlier scowl from Sanhana than one of them would normally get. For then next hour, while Sanhana took Hinata to a secluded part of the small compound to test her Jyuken, Naruto took a quick five minute rest before getting up to practice his forms. He knew he had trouble with moving fluidly, like Hinata did, because his personality and mind had always been militaristic, even rigid, and this affected his training. And so he took a note from Sanhana's long list of training advice; train slowly so that you gain a lot of muscle memory. This will make spotting mistakes much easier, and will make training much harder as moves will be much more exaggerated if the trainer wishes to keep their balance. He went through the kata of the first stage of the Dragon's Hidden Claws, which emphasized on stability. He finished the kata in twenty minutes, and so repeated it again two more times, making sure that his movements were perfect. By the third try he had his eyes closed, feeling his body flowing. He had only tried this training a few times before, but now he appreciated its subtleties.

As he was finishing, he felt two presences watching him. They had only just arrived, though they did not interrupt. Normally one would deduce that they were merely being polite, not wanting to interrupt a training session. But Naruto knew that they were merely watching his movements to learn more about him. But they only got to see the last stance, a stance that required great balance, before Naruto stood up straight and bowed, signaling that he had finished. Naruto went to the verandah and sat down, taking a glass of water to quench his thirst. He sat there in silence, soaking in the calm. He knew why the two were here; there must be a new mission. He sighed inwardly. Being genin, there were few missions they were qualified for, especially after being in a war, so they got more time off than the chunin and jonin. It had taken a full week for Naruto to recover from the exhaustion he had suffered from his battles, and so he had nearly missed the mass funeral of all Konoha shinobi, the most recognised being the Hokage himself. Now Naruto had been recovering from a bad run in with some Rock shinobi on Team Kakashi's way back from a mission at the edge of Rock Country, in a small village that was being harassed by bandits. Naturally, any Rock nin who heard about foreigners helping their citizens would react adversely, so for Team Kakashi this mission had required stealth and well as strength.

"How long do you intend on staying quiet?" an exasperated voice said before Sasuke and Sakura dropped to the ground. Naruto looked up in time to see Sasuke deactivate his Sharingan. Naruto suppressed a smile with difficulty. So the young Uchiha had been trying to gain an inside knowledge of Naruto's fighting style.

"Patience is a virtue," Naruto said seriously. Sasuke curled a superior lip, not deigning to answer such a statement. Sakura rolled her eyes. Trust Naruto, a hyperactive knucklehead during missions, to come up with something like this when all was calm. Naruto smiled slightly. These two were so predictable it almost hurt. Almost.

"So what's the new mission?" Naruto said, still smiling slightly. People now found him a little disturbing. Naruto always had that slight smile, and his personality had taken a complete overhaul. He wasn't the contained person he was around strangers. He was now more open, louder, and more expressive; in short, he was on the road back to his old personality. But he still had a ways to go because there was always that barrier within his eyes that would slam down instantly without warning, a defense mechanism that shut him off completely from everyone else. Before any one of the two got time to reply, Naruto suddenly formed several hand seals, his movements smooth and unhurried, his attention still fixed on Sasuke and Sakura. They both looked at him with measured looks of confusion and exasperation. Just what the hell was going on? The leaves on the ground suddenly picked up and started floating. Sasuke and Sakura looked at the massive collection, surprised. The leaves then bunched closer together and started spinning, making a whooshing noise. The leaf whirlwind moved across the ground and struck the eastern wall, drawing yelps of pain, but mostly of anger. A veil suddenly fell, revealing three young academy students. Naruto started chuckling, which only served to anger the trio further.

"Better shut up, bozo!" shouted Moegi, her face more blushed than usual.

"Or you will have to face!" shouted Udon, his face ridiculously serious.

"The wrath of …!" shouted Konohamaru.

"The Konohamaru Corps!" all three shouted. Naruto was in hysterics after that. All three attacked, running at him with their brand new shining kunai. When they were a few feet from Naruto, however, Sasuke suddenly intercepted them. He tripped Moegi and Udon, gently hitting them in the chest so that they were thrown back a few feet onto their backsides. Sasuke moved onto Konohamaru, his hand aiming for the kunai. Konohamaru stopped in his tracks, his eyes suddenly afraid. He closed his eyes, preparing his body for the same treatment his friends had gotten. After five seconds however, when nothing happened, he opened his eyes and saw Naruto gripping Sasuke's wrist, his face still smiling, but the glow had disappeared from his eyes. They were now sharp and dangerous. Konohamaru noticed, to his shock, that his kunai was no longer in his hand, and was now in Naruto's right hand, held loosely at Naruto's side. The two genin looked at each other for a few seconds, Sasuke curling his lips and Naruto smiling. Sakura almost intervened, but then she sensed the inner tension between the two boys. Perhaps it would not be wise to interfere with this one. Naruto let go of Sasuke somewhat contemptuously and turned to Konohamaru.

"Wow, you've all improved!" he said, his eyes once again smiling. "That Cloak of Invisibility technique was the best I've ever seen." Konohamaru and co. smiled, their ordeal already from their minds.

"We've been training hard, boss!" Konohamaru said eagerly. Udon got up, his face as dour as usual, but his eyes conveyed his happiness. Moegi was all over the place, finally happy that they had mastered the Cloak of Invisibility technique.

"I told you hard work would get you far," Naruto said, giving Konohamaru his kunai back. "But now you have to work on your taijutsu and genjutsu. I'll tell you straight, I may be a little good with taijutsu, but my genjutsu totally sucks!"

"No way, boss," Konohamaru said, shaking his head. "You helped us master that genjutsu cancel technique we were having so much trouble with. There's no way you can be bad." Naruto laughed, the kid's optimism and faith getting to him.

"Now you just go along and train. I've got a mission to get to, so I can't play today. Sorry," Naruto said while all three students groaned. Naruto helped them learn while making it seem like a game, it was so fun! Now they'd have to get back to Ebisu to help with their training, and he was a pervert! They left, however, Konohamaru making Naruto promise to teach him a stronger jutsu than the Orioke no jutsu so he could catch Ebisu-sensei out. Naruto laughed at that. It had been so fun hassling Ebisu-san, especially when he taught Konohamaru the Orioke, a jutsu Naruto had developed to get Ero-Sennin to pay attention to their lessons instead of the bathhouses.

"Alright!" Naruto shouted, and then began taking off his armour.

"Jesus, Naruto," Sakura said. "Teaching such young impressionable kids your disgusting jutsu." Naruto only laughed, humming slightly.

_That leaf whirlwind jutsu he used … to be able to use dead matter to create such damage, even though they were a few bruises, and he used barely any chakra on it. This is definitely a jutsu he created, it has his signature all over it, what with the way he could manipulate dead matter when any other shinobi would simply use more rigid, live leaves to accomplish the same thing._ Sasuke mused over this for a few seconds before turning to the happy blond, scowling.

"We have to meet Kakashi-sensei in five minutes. Don't be late." With that, Sasuke jumped into the trees and over the wall, disappearing onto the street outside. Sakura followed, momentarily looking at Naruto as if something was hidden in his face. Naruto looked up at Sakura, smiling.

"Something wrong, Sakura? Your hero has already left, you know," he joked. Sakura ignored the barb.

"What just happened between you two, when Sasuke stopped those brats from wasting our time?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Brats? That was a new one to describe the Hokage's Grandchild. He shrugged.

"I don't like it when people attack others unprovoked. It's called bullying, by the way." Sakura glowered at Naruto. "And also, I did it to see his expression when he discovered I'm still faster than he is." Sakura dismissed Naruto then and left, shouting, "Don't be late," over her shoulder.

XXX

Team Kakashi were getting their mission briefing from much esteemed shinobi, the two Advisors, Homura and Koharu. From the beginning, their dislike for Naruto had been apparent, although they still conducted themselves accordingly, not deigning to notice Naruto's presence. Naruto, likewise, was very still, his face an expression of stoic passivity. Sakura and Sasuke looked at the two with mystified eyes, knowing there was a story between Naruto and the Advisors, and while they did not ask about it, it was apparent that Kurenai was serving as a barrier from stopping Naruto from doing something rash. They could feel his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. They knew him enough now to read the sides, and Sakura especially knew that he was close to losing control. Sasuke lost interest in the silent feud after a while, but his eyes still studied them periodically.

"So that's it then," Homura said, his voice tired. "This is the last mission the Third organized, so be grateful that we honored his wishes and did not give this to another team. Do not fail the mission and dishonor us and the memory of the Third."

Homura coughed. "We have, however, decided to take certain precautions to help with the mission. Kurenai here will be the team leader and _all_ of you will follow her directions, understood?" Everyone nodded, from Shino, Kiba and Hinata to Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto did not move, but his acquiescence was apparent in his posture; it had become slightly less confrontational. The Advisors frowned at him but did not argue. They looked ready to leave.

"One last thing," Sakura said. "Where is Kakashi-sensei? What happened to him that we need to have a replacement Jonin-sensei?" A tension rippled through Kurenai and the Advisors, but Kurenai replied without a pause.

"I'm only a temporary replacement, Sakura. Kakashi will be back as soon as he is able."

"He's been injured, hasn't he?" Sasuke said. "Why would you want to keep that from us? It's not like it hasn't happened before." _Something more happened with Kakashi-sensei, but what?_

Homura took the stage without trouble. "True, he got injured in a fight, but the truth is we do not know when he will fully recover. The wounds he received are … not recognizable to our medics. His condition is stable, so there is no need to worry." Naruto snorted, which immediately drew Koharu's attention.

"Have you got anything to say?" she asked harshly. Naruto stood up and stretched, his eyes not leaving the old woman.

"If I could smell _him_, I'm a bit worried that his presence was not detected until it was a bit too late." The Advisors were shocked, and so was Kurenai, but all three quickly regained their composure. Naruto's eyes flickered toward Sasuke, something which wasn't lost on the three. "I'm not surprised Kakashi-sensei was injured that much, nothing would keep him away from a mission unless it was serious. But," Naruto said, turning away, "keeping secrets like you two seem to like to do is not very healthy for a recovering Konoha. He deserves to know about _his_ presence. If he finds out on his own … well, let's just say things won't go swimmingly after that." Naruto wavered briefly before disappearing. The Advisors looked positively livid, being told how to do their job by a brat like Naruto and walked off muttering. Kurenai sighed. How had the blond found out about Itachi's little visit to Konoha. She still did not know what Itachi had wanted, only Kakashi did, and he couldn't tell much in his current condition, a full blown comatose. Whatever genjutsu Itachi had used was beyond her ken, and she could not help to dispel its after effects. Her own team members seemed intrigued but otherwise clueless, and so did Kakashi's pupils. At least Sasuke not knowing was good enough for the time being, but she wondered whether Naruto was right. Outwardly, she sighed.

"Well, you know the missions specs. We'll meet at the main gate tomorrow at 0600 hrs."

XXX

Naruto wandered the night, his mind fuzzy. He still could not believe that Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were after him. They were S-Class criminals, one of the most powerful shinobi out there. Currently they were part of an organization called Akatsuki, which consisted of thirteen shinobi, all S-Class and very dangerous. Orochimaru had once been a part of the organization but had left quite recently and no one knew the reason. Naruto's mind reeled as he remembered he had come within an inch of running into the two shinobi. His life had been saved by Jiraiya, who had dragged him to a secluded spot. Jiraiya had then gone onto explaining the situation, and even now all that knowledge was still running rampant through Naruto's head. Naruto sighed, remembering the high class fight he had witnessed between the two Akatsuki members and Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-san and Asuma-san. He knew he would not stand a chance under the Heavens against such shinobi, so what was he supposed to do. He would not let them take him, but he needed to be at least Jiraiya's equal before he stood a chance of defending himself against such shinobi.

He let his subconscious deal with the conundrum as he walked down dark and deserted roads and alleyways. He stopped periodically, looking into certain lit houses, viewing the life there. He walked for the best part of two hours, his mind slowly sinking deeper into heavy depression. Finally, he jumped onto the rooftops and went to the top of Ichiraku Ramen. He would jump down later for a quick bowl before sleep, but right now he needed to be alone. His new resolution to change his personality was really eating away at him. It had taken all his willpower not to take a lunge at Sasuke for hitting the Konohamaru Corps. Why did the Uchiha feel the need to demonstrate his power so? He could tell Sasuke had been surprised that Naruto had confronted him for reprimanding the students for messing around with mission business, but what had surprised Sasuke more was that Naruto had let Sasuke go without a word. That had really confused the young Uchiha. Also, the matter of the Advisors was bothering Naruto. Old man Hokage did not seem to have had much faith in them, and he wondered what they had meant by 'certain precautions'. He was sure they did not mean the extra team. No, their words had rung something deep inside him. What could they possibly mean? He was sure, however, that it did not bode well for him. But what was really bothering Naruto at the moment was loneliness. It seemed such a trivial matter, but to Naruto it was a very serious one. He had seen all his comrades and other children he did not know, warm in their houses. He had seen Sakura, having a lovely dinner with her parents. They were enjoying themselves, and his lip reading skills meant he could understand their conversations. She had been telling them about her new exciting mission, to which her parents had replied with great enthusiasm. For a second, Sakura's mother broached on the subject of whether or not Naruto would be coming along, and Naruto had seen the fear and loathing in both adults' eyes. He had moved on. Even his teammates, Sasuke, seemed to be enjoying life despite the fact that he had no family. He had been attending a function held at the Main Hyuga Compound, a function only very high ranking members of Konoha society were invited to. Naruto had seen Hiashi's fervor toward acquainting Hinata and Sasuke, two inheritors-to-be of their Clan's power, and after that he had left. He had not wanted to se anymore. He had wandered aimlessly, soaking in the revelry of the night. So this was what people got up to. He had always wondered but never had the guts to find out. But now he knew, and he wished he had never been so curious. Why couldn't he let sleeping dogs lie? Now he knew why he filled his every waking moment with training; it was because he had no family to occupy him otherwise. He had no close friends to which he could spend time with. He was utterly alone.

And now he sat at Ichiraku Ramen bar, eating his third help of the delicious food, hid mind a blank. He had never thought to contemplate his loneliness, choosing to take the path of acknowledgement, but Itachi's arrival had screwed that up. Even Sasuke, his teammate who had his entire clan wiped out, had one remaining relative, and he was accepted by all of Konoha as an excellent shinobi. Naruto acknowledge Sasuke as the one person who understood his pain, and through that bond, they shared a unique friendship. But Naruto realized now that Sasuke was above him, in a way, despite the fact the refused to acknowledge it. Once, long ago, when Naruto was a mere student in the Academy, Sasuke and he had not had much trouble talking. They had even become playmates of a sort, but as Sasuke grew, he associated himself less with losers like Naruto. Naruto sighed and finished his helping of ramen. He put his money under the bowl and left, going toward the forest. That was where his home was now. There he spent his time away from the distractions of Konoha life. He had refused the Hokage's offer of an apartment, and now he knew why. He had instead built his own little shed which housed all his worldly possessions.

"Don't dwell on it, boy," a voice said from above. Naruto looked up, keeping his posture the same. A sad smile appeared on his face.

"So, you're back," Naruto said, jumping onto the rooftop to join his companion.

"Aye," Yonbi said. He looked down at Naruto, knowing the inner turmoil the boy was going through. And yet he was proud of the boy for having gone this far, having achieved what he had. He let nothing show on his face, though, and instead smiled back at Naruto. "Don't dwell on what isn't, Naruto. It will only drive you into madness, as witnessed by your friend Gaara." Naruto looked up at Yonbi, a question in his eyes. "Sand is now finalizing the paperwork for an alliance with Konoha, and messengers should be arriving in days. I met Gaara on his way back to Suna, and after hearing his story, I decided to help him; I modified the seal used on him to bind Shukaku inside him. It had been designed to yield the maximum amount of power to the container, but also let out Shukaku's murderous personalities to torment the container. I fixed it so that only Shukaku's power leaks out, and although Gaara will still suffer from his insomnia, it will be milder and he can rest at night without fear." Naruto nodded.

"I'm glad," he said, and he meant it. Despite whatever Naruto had been through, he knew it would never amount to the pain of what Gaara had gone through. He should be glad that he was where he was, but still his heart yearned for more. He sighed. "So what brings you here?" Yonbi laughed.

"Can't I come simply to visit?" Naruto simply looked at him, and Yonbi laughed even harder. "Not in this case, I suppose. I have heard whispers of Akatsuki making a move into the world, and I know Itachi-san and Kisame-san came for an informal visit. Listen, Naruto. They are not after you, per se. I cannot go into much detail at the moment, but at your current level you are not even an annoyance. You are easy prey."

"I know," Naruto said, his voice toneless. Yonbi sighed.

"Like I said, don't dwell on it too much. That is why I am here. I have come to make an offer, Naruto. One you need to think on. I know of a place where you would be safe, where you could train and gain experience without having to worry about Akatsuki or any other threat." Naruto looked at Yonbi.

"What's the catch?"

"The catch is, my young friend, that I am not completely sure you can survive the journey there. The fact that you carry Kyuubi no Yoko means that you may not be permitted to enter such a holy place, and if you do get there, you will be treated worse than in Konoha because of the evil you hold. You might even be challenged to fights in which your life may be on the line. I cannot guarantee your safety from other residents, but I can promise that Akatsuki will be no threat to you. Furthermore, I can guarantee that your education will advance swiftly, if you apply yourself. You might not want to go to such a place, but I though I should ask." Naruto looked at the moon. He spoke after five minutes of silence

"I have nothing to stay for in Konoha. It has become my home, and I'd like to think that I have made a few friends … but Akatsuki poses a very big threat. I also know that Orochimaru will be back, and next time he might leave with Sasuke, for Sasuke's will is weakening, I can feel it. It hurts, knowing how similar Sasuke and I are, but not being able to do anything about it. I feel that if I can just reach out to him, then things would be easier, but as it is, I begin to doubt that will happen. So many things are going to go wrong, and I have not even begun to think about the silence Rock Village and Cloud Village have been giving to the rest of the world. I am simply not ready as I am. Also, I have been having dreams, and they are connected to the Kyuubi and his past, and they are tied to my future. I have really bad feeling about the future of Konoha. Ah, this is all so much!" Naruto screamed. He took deep breaths and calmed down. "I am simply not ready, and therefore I need to get stronger. If going with you is the only thing that is going to help me, I will take it."

"Ah," Yonbi sighed. "I had hoped you would not agree, and at the same time I hoped you would. Jiraiya had faith that you would." Naruto perked up at this. The two knew each other? Yonbi read this and smiled. "After Orochimaru defected and Jiraiya tried to get him back, and failed, Jiraiya somehow fouled up a jutsu in his depression afterwards, accidentally finding his way to the place I want to take you. He rested there for a while, healing, before he came back. It if there that he was when the Kyuubi attacked, and so he missed his student's final moments. It hurt him, but he got over it and dedicated most of his life to intelligence gathering for the better for Konoha. At any rate, think on this carefully, for I have to go to Wave Country and convince to other people to join us, and then take them, and then I shall come back for you. I have no idea how long it will take, but I should be back in three months as the most." With that, Yonbi got up and left, briefly patting Naruto's shoulder and murmuring, "Happy birthday," before the wind claimed him and he disappeared. Naruto looked down at Konoha and sighed. His life only seemed to get harder, and there seemed to be no respite in view.

XXX

The journey went well, seeing as the actual mission would not begin until after they had acquired the target. They travelled fast but easy, even taking time to see some of the Fire Country's beautiful scenery. But it was apparent, however, that something had changed with Naruto. He was no longer the smiling guy he had become. He had reverted back into himself for some reason. He still smiled to his comrades now and then, but the smiles and friendliness seemed a little forced. He still participated in whatever ridiculous antics Kiba organized, especially the ones the group used to occupy themselves at night, whether at a hotel or a camp.

As they came closer to their target, Naruto seemed to become more agitated. As a result, he spent more time on his own, often wandering for hours and coming back to sleep, and he would be the first to wake up, wandering off again and then coming back as the others got ready to leave. Naruto's attitude was not helped by a very important fact; Sasuke had been made an honorary Chunin by the Advisors. How he conducted himself during the mission would determine whether he would be promoted to Chunin or stayed a genin. Sasuke's attitude had become even smugger, and the two seemed to be glaring daggers at each other at every turn. He was second in command to Kurenai, and as such he was in a more powerful position than Naruto. This seemed to please him, for he was tired of proving himself better than the blond, and now here was proof. Sasuke wore his Chunin vest open over his shirt, its new material flashing green.

"Just what the hell is your problem?" Kiba said, finally gathering the gall to ask Naruto just what wrong with him. It was nearly dark, and Sasuke and Shino had gone to gather more wood for the fire. "And what's all that business about with the Advisors. What were you talking about?" Naruto looked at Kiba, and then noticed everyone was paying attention. It was hard not to when the loud mouth Inuzuka was speaking.

"Kiba-kun," Hinata said gently, trying to dissuade Kiba. "Don't be so rude. It is Naruto-san's business." But Kiba would not be dissuaded. He kept glaring at Naruto.

"Why do I have the feeling that our mission will be nothing but trouble because of you? There is something going on that obviously you and the Advisors know about, and I think we all deserve to know about it since we might be risking our necks." Kurenai did not interfere, but merely looked on. How would Naruto deal with this? Would he finally entrust his greatest secret to the people who had become his friends? Naruto, however, had other ideas.

"Missions are always trouble, Kiba, so this is no different. And as a shinobi, you will have to deal with not knowing the reason behind everything. However, I will tell you one thing; I have no idea what lies ahead of the mission. I know as much as you do. If you want to know more, I suggest you ask Kurenai-san." Naruto clammed up after that and settled back, not even looking at all of them. Shino and Sasuke cam back later, and they immediately noticed the tension.

"What have you done now, idiot?" Sasuke said, unloading his heavy luggage onto the ground, dusting his hands off his vest, a gesture Naruto did not miss, nor anyone else. Naruto looked up at him in annoyance and then looked away. He was in no mood for a confrontation. He remembered back to the days with Taita-sensei when he would need to calm down after particularly vehement temper tantrum when he could not understand what he was being taught. He remembered what he had discovered about himself that calmed him down; beauty. He had not played since the beginning of the Chunin Exam, but he knew it would come back to him quick enough. He got out a scroll from his black vest and activated it open. The others looked on in interest at what he had summoned, but Sasuke, Kiba and Sakura immediately lost interest when they recognised the summoned **Biwa**, a Japanese lute. Naruto started humming softly, tuning the Biwa and getting the feel of the strings on his fingers. He had taught himself how to play early on with Taita, but as the old man discovered Naruto's passion, he taught Naruto how to play properly. While Naruto was a far cry from a genius and a master, he was nevertheless good at it, like all other things he put his mind to.

He stood up and walked away from the campsite, playing and singing. Despite this, his music drifted back to the others, and they found themselves caught by his song.

"That's _Dust in the Wind_ by the great artist _Kansas_. He plays it well," commented Kurenai aloud. Sasuke grunted. The idiot should have spent more time training that playing useless instruments. His thoughts were plastered all over his face.

"_Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea,_

_All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see,_

_Dust in the Wind, All we are is Dust in the Wind…_"

Naruto played long, the sad song weaving among the leaves, under the rocks and under the skies. After a while, the lyrical melody stopped, and after ten minutes, Naruto came back. He seemed calmer now. In fact, he seemed to be very happy, the happiest he had been since their mission briefing by the Advisors. There was actually a small smile playing across his lips. Naruto sat down and gladly ate the food prepared by Hinata and Sakura, not speaking, the Biwa by his side. The firelight danced across its perfect wooden construction. After he was finished, Naruto handed Hinata the bowl with a bow, thanking her marvelous cooking. Sakura berated Naruto, saying she also helped, to which Naruto gave a genuine laugh. He seemed to be finally over whatever was bothering him.

"Why waste your time with useless instruments?" Sasuke said. "You are already a loser enough as is." Hinata took in a sharp breath, her eyes flickering to Naruto, but Naruto only smiled wider. He picked up the Biwa and started playing. Everyone frowned slightly as they felt Naruto putting chakra from his fingers into the strings of the Biwa. Hinata seemed slightly nervous. Naruto's face was in shadow as he played.

"That's always been your problem, Sasuke. You have trouble looking underneath the underneath, as Kakashi-sensei would say." Sasuke growled and turned away. He would not be berated by this third rate ninja. However, he suddenly felt … something in the air. There were many of them. Naruto stopped playing, and there was a deadly silence, and then he struck a powerful chord. There was a reverberation in the air, and suddenly a deep gash appeared just above Sasuke's head. Everyone started, and Naruto struck another chord, and then another, and then another. All the immaterial blades attacked Sasuke's position, narrowly missing him, on purpose, Sasuke knew. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and saw what was happening; Naruto was channeling chakra into the string of the Biwa, and then he was manipulating it into wind, which he fired by plucking a wind charged string. The blades were fast and sharp, and could cut through hard material. Recharging a discharged strong took under a second, so a continuous attack pattern could be created. Sasuke's face hardened, and he deactivated his Sharingan. This was a high level jutsu, B-rank at least.

"I see you have discovered the workings of my Blades of Wind technique. They can be created and fired by hand, but I'm not that good. It's a Jonin level jutsu, so I took a short cut. By using a medium, it is much easier and even more potent in certain situations. However, it does have disadvantages, the biggest being that I have to carry this with me, which can hinder my movements." Naruto played the Biwa, and this time the blade drew blood from Sasuke's cheek. He didn't feel the wound and the blood leaking until Sakura gasped and reprimanded Naruto for hurting a teammate. Naruto did not seem concerned. He was smiling, as he raised his head, his eyes were cold.

"Manners, Uchiha Sasuke. It's not very nice to insult a gift given in love, you know." Naruto took of the strap for the Biwa, and he did so, a small inscription was visible for a few seconds. After he removed it, Naruto formed a few hand seals and used a minor sealing technique most ninja knew to seal the Biwa back into its scroll. Everyone was slightly surprised by what it said.

"Well, goodnight," Naruto said and went to his sleeping bag. Everyone followed suit. Tomorrow would be the day they got hold of their target and would begin the arduous mission of guarding and transporting the target back to Konoha. But as everyone went to sleep, they all thought about the small inscription and what it might mean. They remembered Naruto's words about the Biwa, and thought about the inscription. Was there something going on perhaps? The inscription read;

_Happy Birthday_

_- Love, Hinata_

XXX

The day was relatively warm as Team 7 and Team 8 made their way toward the Fire Country's most powerful and influential Daimyo. Even Kiba controlled himself, making Akamaru stay as quiet as the dead while they entered the palace. As they went through the large and spacious halls of the palace, they could hear sounds coming from deeper in the palace. It sounded like a celebration. As the butler let them into a small ballroom, they could see many tables with food and many upper class citizens of the Fire Country. But that was not what drew the Konoha shinobi's attention. No, the person who drew their attention seemed to be the person whose celebration this was. The person in question was a girl the same age as the genin, who was wearing a Konoha hitai-ate and a Chunin vest. She was blond haired and blue eyes, and despite her short height carried herself regally. They looked at her, shocked, while Kurenai prepared herself for the hard mission ahead mentally. The people in the room seemed to notice the shinobi presence and turned to them.

"Ah, there you are, Kurenai-san!" a tall man shouted. "About time too, you and your ninja were about to miss the presents ceremony for my dear granddaughter's promotion, and we couldn't have that!" all the guests chuckled lightly, as they were supposed to. Kurenai smiled and stepped forward.

"It would have been a terrible shame. I heard she performed spectacularly in the private examination she had. She's now a Chunin eh? You must be proud." The old man nodded vehemently, agreeing.

"I am, I am! Now, join us!" But the genin did not move. They were looking at the girl, who was now gazing at them with interest, especially Sasuke. However, when her eyes fell on Naruto, her face suddenly became furious.

"What is _he_ doing here!?" Everyone turned to look at Naruto, whose face was calm and passive, though his hands to be shaking slightly. Sasuke groaned audibly.

"What have you done now, idiot?" he muttered just loud enough for anyone near to hear. But Naruto did not reply. Instead, he was gazing at the girl with … fury?

"Come now, poppet," the old man said. "That is no way for the Fourth Hokage's daughter, the Fourth's Legacy, to behave, is it now?" The shock seemed to be absolute, and now Naruto's facial features started changing. His eyes turned red, and his nails lengthened into talons. This was not simply him being mad, Kurenai noticed. It was the combined fury of the Kyuubi and Naruto coming to the surface. She was on her way to intervene when Naruto closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He was struggling for control, and after a minute his body was back under control, the Kyuubi's chakra receded. His hands still shook though, but he was under control. The girl, however, was not.

"Come back, monster!" the girl shouted. She was radiating killer intent. She was going to kill Naruto if it was the last thing she did, that much was clear in her eyes, but what none of the people in the ballroom could figure out was why. The old man seemed to notice Naruto for the first time. His eyes widened, and he started muttering.

"What did you do, Sarutobi…?" he said. He was thinking about how the boy looked so much like his own granddaughter. They could almost be mistaken for siblings! He was also thinking about what evil creature the boy carried, and how similar the boy looked to the hero whom had died defeating the evil creature. He now understood why his granddaughter was angry, and why the Kyuubi brat's death was near. His granddaughter had been trained and raised by the best tutors money could buy. Her performance had earned a comment from one of the Examiners that she would have won the Chunin Exams in Konoha without much trouble, even from Sabaku no Gaara and even the Uchiha survivor, Sasuke. She had her father's talent for jutsu, and now she would use it in full force. He watched helplessly as the girl launched an attack his old eyes could not follow, a massive killer intent radiating off her.


	18. Volume 1: The Kidnapping

**Someone wrote to me saying that Naruto was far too weak after all the training he's had, and that it had ruined the fic the way his character is always pushes around, disregarded and just generally being inferior. Well, I'd just like to let you know that if you think that, the good, because I have done it very deliberately and for a very good reason, which you shall see in about two chapters time. I need the correct amount of … well, you'll jut have to see. Otherwise, if that was your only problem with the fic, then please continue reading, because you will love the future chapters I'm drafting. Also, if you have any other problems, please contact me, because as much as I'd like to be, I'm not psychic. One problem I have not addressed so far is whether or not Naruto and Hiarashi are brother and sister. That is because I have been trying to think of a way to phrase it properly, but haven't found one. Their relationship is very complex, so I need quite a big berth to develop Hiarashi's character first before I can safely give information on that score. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**XXX**

Team 7, Team 8, Kurenai, and not to mention everyone else in the ballroom, was shocked. The word did not do justice to what they were seeing, but it was as close as any word could get. The two ninja teams had discovered that Konoha's greatest ninja had sired an heir, and that she took after him in a lot of ways, including his genius. Kurenai lowered her centre of gravity slightly, thinking. She could not attack the Yondaime's daughter, especially in such esteemed company, simply to save someone whom no one thought highly off, namely Naruto. But at the same time it was her duty as a jonin-sensei to protect her charges, but no one would even think of that if she acted as she should, because protecting the Kyuubi brat was not high on anyone's list. She was stuck at a crossroads. Hinata saw that Kurenai was undecided, and every second she wasted, the crazy blonde girl got closer and closer. The blond girl was nearly as fast as Naruto-san himself. It seemed she had achieved what Tenten and Neji had dubbed "Hyperactive Ninja Arts: Lee-Class Speed". She gritted her teeth, getting ready to aid Naruto. Shino and Kiba, noticing their teammate's decision, also got ready. They had been through much to let Hinata do something on her own, they had grown close.

"Stop." Everyone looked with surprise at who had spoken. Even as they looked, Naruto jumped away from the girl's kick, and apparently choosing not to take the opening in her defense like any other shinobi would. "Don't interfere." Sasuke had his hands in his pockets, appearing relaxed, but his eyes revealed something else; he looked … worried. "Naruto can handle himself. He needs to do this on his own."

"Your little friend has a lot of faith in you," the girl said, pausing from her barrage of kicks and punches. She was leering at him, her white teeth looking predatory. "Too bad it's misplaced!" With that, she launched herself at Naruto. Naruto evaded all her attacks, and when she jumped back, her hands forming seals, he took the opportunity to remove his cloak, which had been restricting his movement somewhat. Not free of his cloak, the old daimyo gasped; ho so much the brat looked like the Yondaime! They even had the same of dealing with the unruly locks of their hair! The girl used the Grand Fireball technique, consuming Naruto in a raging inferno of fire. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

_That Katon jutsu is as powerful as mine, if not more_, he thought. The hands in his pockets were shaking slightly, safely away from anyone's point of view. Naruto would have a hard time winning this one, but Sasuke was confident Naruto would win. After all, even with his Sharingan not activated, he had already analyzed a good chunk of her capabilities and had seen the flaws in her techniques. Naruto may be an idiot, but he was not a complete moron. He, too, would have spotted them. As the fire cleared, it revealed a badly burnt Naruto, who was panting heavily. Sasuke frowned. The idiot was faster than this, even as fast as that thick eyebrow freak, Lee. He would have dodged that easily. He activated his Sharingan, paying closer attention to this battle. As he looked at Naruto, it seemed to him, for only a second that Naruto fazed in and out of visibility. What was that?

"Stop," Naruto said, holding out his right palm. "I do not want to fight you."

"But I want to fight you," the girl shouted, a gleam of triumph in her eyes as she saw she had dealt Naruto some damage. "For far too long I have acquiesced to my family's objections not to hunt you down, but that ends now." She started gathering a lot of chakra, enough to make her hair start waving about in an unseen wind. "I will kill you today, Uzumaki Naruto, for what you did. I shall end your existence for killing my father!" with that, she ran toward Naruto, no more than a blur of movement. She stuck out at Naruto with a palm strike, and followed up with several more punches and kicks. As Naruto sailed through the air he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. The blond girl frowned. So the demon could use Kage Bunshin, a jonin level technique. Interesting. At least he would not be a boring defeat.

"Always pay attention to your enemy," she heard a voice behind her say. She turned round and saw Naruto standing five feet in front of her, completely unharmed. So he had managed to perform Kage Bunshin while the blaze of her Katon jutsu obscured her view. She growled and attacked, now moving at her maximum speed. Naruto calmly sidestepped her punch, not taking the opening in her guard and merely jumped back. Her scowl became more pronounced. Why couldn't she land a hit? She was better than him, a true genius! He should have been easy prey! She attacked over and over again, but each time Naruto dodged or blocked her attacks, moving gracefully over the floor. She was getting sick of his calm, unafraid, face. She had always imagined the demon with a look of shock and fright when she exacted her revenge. She jumped back, surveying Naruto, who simply stood there. She frowned. She had not expected to use this technique, as it was very prized to her, but now she had no choice. She wanted to finish this quick so she could finally rest in peace and enjoy her life, knowing she had avenged her father. Besides, she had a celebration to get back to.

Naruto looked at her, instantly knowing something was wrong. He barely had enough time to jump out of the way before a fist landed where his head had been. Naruto's eyes widened slightly. This girl could use Kage Bunshin, and what's more, it seemed her levels of chakra and stamina was very large. He had no time to react as more shadow clones attacked from close quarters, preventing him from running away. He managed to hit quite a few of them before he was overwhelmed. He could not form seals since his whole body was engaged in a fight for release, and therefore he was unaware of the threat until it was too late. As the shadow clones held him fast, he saw a blond blur as the girl attacked. His eyes widened as he saw that in her hand she held a ball of swirling chakra so concentrated that he could actually see it with his eyes. He felt the power radiating off the attack, and he knew that it was more powerful than his **Chisemi**. Suddenly, he remembered when he had visited the library a few months previously, when he had gone with Konohamaru to show the boy his inheritance. Ebisu had come along since Naruto believed, despite Ebisu's obvious perversion and outward distaste toward Naruto, that Ebisu had Konohamaru's best interests at heart, and would help Konohamaru train. While he had been browsing Sandaime's collection, a very rich collection, he had seen a scroll with the Fourth's symbol on it. He had taken it in interest and opened it, browsing its contents. It was scroll on one of the most powerful jutsu in Konoha, the **Rasengan**, a Spiraling Sphere of concentrated chakra that could do considerable damage and could even kill lesser opponents. This was what the girl was holding. This was what she would kill him with. All the fight suddenly went out of Naruto. So she really was the Fourth's daughter, his legacy. He slumped in the hands of his captors. Inside him, the Kyuubi was raging, his temper aflame. Naruto had never known Kyuubi to be so active, but he supposed being killed, let alone by the Fourth's daughter, was a welcome prospect for the demon.

The girl smiled as she got nearer. It seemed the demon had finally accepted its fate. It was doomed to die. She held out her right hand, the **Rasengan** swirling dangerously. It was over. She jumped into the air, choosing to come down with the **Rasengan** on Naruto's head. Naruto chose to close his eyes. He did not want to look into the Fourth's likeness as he died. He waited, but nothing came. As he opened his eyes, he noticed a red and white blur taking hold of the girl's arm and twirling her so that her trajectory changed. She hit the opposite wall, completely decimating it. Naruto frowned as he saw Ero-Sennin standing there, his lecherous grin plastered wide on his lips.

"Sorry I'm late for the party. I got caught up in some research. Lost track of the time!" Jiraiya laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that everyone was looking at the scene with open mouths.

_That strange technique…_ thought Sasuke. _… Just what was it?_ Naruto shook of the remaining shadow clones, most of the others having been destroyed as the girl had lost her concentration in keeping them. He stood tall and walked past Jiraiya to retrieve his cloak. He put it on, fastening the front so that none of his ninja clothes were visible. He looked at the girl, who had quickly risen. She was looking at Jiraiya with shock and anger.

"What are you doing, Jiraiya-sensei!? I nearly had my revenge. You said once I was strong enough I could go and kill _him_!" Naruto scowled at the pair before turning round. He had already worked out what was going on in his head the moment he heard the girl was the Fourth's daughter. Of course Jiraiya would have known about her, and of course he would have kept an eye on his precious student's daughter. Should he be so surprised that Jiraiya had given the go ahead for his assassination? No doubt this is why the council, along with the Advisors, had been so pleased to send him on this _important mission_, despite the fact that other more capable shinobi could have been chosen. Had they hoped this would be the last time they would see him? He wondered if Kakashi-sensei had known, being a student of the Fourth, but he would not be surprised if Kakashi knew. It seemed that he had been purposefully kept in the dark just for this moment. Why had Jiraiya intervened though? What was the Perverted Hermit up to? Naruto cast aside his thoughts and walked away, his mind seeking refuge from these dark thoughts. He started walking away, only to have the girl shout at him.

"Where do you think you are going? I'm not finished with you!" Naruto kept on walking, ignoring her. Behind him the girl started running toward him, only to have Jiraiya hold her back. After a few seconds, twelve shinobi appeared around Naruto. They wore normal shinobi clothing, except they did not have any hitai-ate. Naruto noticed their hard faces and the sashes they wore at their hips. They were the **12 Guard Ninjas of Fire**, personal ninja guards to the Daimyo. Narutos stood where he was, not moving. There was no doubt in his mind that these ninja hated him, and that if he even made a wrong move he would surely die.

"Let him go," Jiraiya said. They looked at Jiraiya with surprise in their eyes.

"But … Jiraiya-sama!" one protested.

"Hold him down!" screamed the girl, still struggling in Jiraiya's grip. Jiraiya merely looked at the ninja, his eyes sad and serious at the same time. The ninja slowly, reluctantly, backed down. Naruto uttered a sound of contempt before walking past them. The ballroom was in complete silence, apart from the sound of the young girl's struggles.

"Revenge … I have … to get … my revenge," she was uttering under he breath, her eyes cold as ice. Jiraiya sighed and pinched her neck, instantly bringing unconsciousness. The girl slumped, and he picked her up and put her over his shoulder. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, truly leaving the ballroom in silence.

"What the hell was that all about?" Kiba said, his voice subdued considerably. Akamaru barked, safe within Kiba's coat.

"I think the same thoughts are plaguing us all," Shino said. He seemed unaffected by what he had seen, at least on the outside.

"I'm going to find out," Hinata said before running after Naruto. She had seen it in his eyes; pain; anger; hatred; and sadness. Something was horribly wrong, that was true, and even though she knew Naruto would not divulge his thoughts, she did know that right now Naruto needed a friend, simply to be there for him.

XXX

Naruto walked down the busy street. It was daylight. People were milling around, going about their own business, completely unaware of the dangers lurking outside their own city. He saw mothers with daughters, shopping food; mothers with sons, going to different functions; fathers and daughters, walking hand in hand down the street; and fathers and sons, celebrating one victory or another. He saw smiling faces, healthy auras. Like a black cloud, he wove through this community, his eyes taking in everything. On a corner stand he saw a father buying ice cream for his daughter, and how happy the daughter looked. She was jumping up and down, and suddenly the ice cream dropped. She looked at it, tears in her eyes, but she did not cry. It had been her fault, after all. But then a new ice cream entered her vision, and she looked up and saw her father smiling down at her, holding a new, even bigger ice cream. She laughed and took it from him, thanking him profusely, though this time she did not endanger her ice cream by jumping.

_Is that what the Yondaime and is daughter would have experiences?_ Naruto thought. He continued walking down the market streets, slowly entering the residential areas. Here he saw children playing various games outside, knowing they were safe. A kid kicked a ball in his direction. Naruto could not be bothered to dodge, and it hit him in the face. The hit stung. The kids hushed as they saw this menacing person, standing there, next to their ball. They were too frightened to come and say sorry and reclaim their ball, Naruto saw. Then one little boy slowly approached, his eyes wary. Naruto looked at him, his face blank.

"So … sorry, mister," the little kid stammered, and in quick moves, he took the ball and ran back to his friends. Naruto sighed and rubbed his right cheek and moved away. He walked to the edge of the city and into the surrounding forestry. He always found that the green foliage served to calm him down considerably. He took out a scroll and summoned the **Biwa** Hinata had gotten him. He spent some time looking at its superior craftsmanship, and then started plucking strings at random, deep in thought.

"If that is the best you can play then I'm sorely disappointed," a voice said. Naruto did not look up to see who had spoken. He continued playing, keeping to his silence. He heard the thud of feet jumping from branch to branch, until he felt the person land beside him, leaning against the tree trunk. "I thought you were supposed to be talented with that." Naruto scowled. He did not feel like talking.

"Leave me in peace, please," he said.

"No," the person said simply. "We need to talk, Naruto."

"There's nothing to talk about, Jiraiya-san," Naruto said. Jiraiya grimaced. The boy was actually being polite to him, which meant he was seriously in turmoil right now. Jiraiya sat down next to Naruto. He looked sideways at the kid, who was still looking forward, his eyes glazed over in thought.

"You have to understand, Naruto, that it was done for her protection, as well as yours," Jiraiya began. "The Fourth had many enemies, and if people found out he had a daughter, she would become a target for assassinations for the rest of her life. He wanted her to be able to defend herself when her identity was announced to the rest of the world. Konoha, I, could not deny the dying wish of the greatest ninja to come out of Konohagakure." Naruto did not say a word, instead concentrating on his music. He changed his grip on the Biwa and started playing a soft melody. Jiraiya continued, closing his eyes and remembering. "He wanted you to be hailed as a hero, Naruto, for keeping the Kyuubi prisoner. By separating you two, the chances of your identities being recognised by enemies would be considerably lower. You have no idea, even in our day, just how far villages and ninja will go to acquire the power of a demon like Kyuubi. And also by separating you two he wanted to make sure you both grew strong without distractions, distractions such as the one that just happened back at the Daimyo's palace. He suspected such feelings might evolve between you two, and he wanted you two to be strong in body and mind before you met. Unfortunately, Hiarashi found out about your existence long before she was supposed to, and ever since she has made it her goal to destroy you. Try to understand what she's going through Naruto, before you do anything rash." Naruto stopped playing.

"Understand?" he whispered softly. "Of course I understand. You do not want me to kill Konoha's precious child. The villagers would have a field day if I even laid one finger on her. Do not worry, Jiraiya-sama. I have no interest in the Fourth's Legacy whatsoever." Naruto started playing again, his fingers sailing lightly over the strings. It was true, the girl, Hiarashi, held no interest to him whatsoever. He neither liked nor disliked her. She was nothing but an annoyance. But deep in his mind he wondered about what he should do. The Kyuubi would now take every chance it could to try and influence him to kill the girl. He could feel it even now, attacking its prison bars, trying to get out and wreak havoc. The appearance of the girl had sent it into a rage it had not known since the day the Fourth sealed it away. From Naruto's point of view, the Fourth's reasoning was lacking, but he did not bother with that. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment. Why had the Fourth taken someone else's child, even though the child was an orphan, to seal away the Kyuubi in, and not use his own daughter? Did he not want to sacrifice his own child, thinking no one would miss an orphan? Was he that much of a coward? Naruto heaved an aggravated sigh. These thoughts would lead him nowhere. He put them at the back of his mind so that his subconscious would deal with them, just like he did when he was too befuddled to solve any other problem. He resealed the Biwa and stood up, stretching. He needed to train and exercise his mind, to distract him. He needed to simply enjoy himself, to lose himself.

"If that girl tries anything, Jiraiya-san, I will not hold back. I will make her suffer, very slowly, all the pain I have suffered before killing her. If you have a problem with that, stop me now." Jiraiya did not move. He simply looked at Naruto. After a few seconds Naruto jumped down and walked away. He saw someone coming his way, and after a moment, he smiled. He needed a friend. As Hinata reached him, she slouched, breathing heavily. She had been looking everywhere for him. She looked around, but there was no one around apart from her and Naruto. Naruto smiled down at her and picked her up, giving her a piggy back ride back into the city.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" Hinata said, blushing profusely. Naruto just laughed.

"I'm carrying you back to the city. You need to catch your breath, and then maybe we can do something later?" Naruto asked. Hinata smiled from behind Naruto, stroking his blond curls for a second.

"Oh, alright then," she said, blushing even more. Right now, Naruto needed the support he had given her before the Chunin Exams. She would not ask about what was bothering him. He would tell her when he was ready.

XXX

Team 7 and Team 8 walked out of the city strategically placed around their target. She could protect herself, of course, but she was, after all, the Yondaime's daughter, and he had made many enemies. She could not protect herself if a group of Rock nin decided to attack, not that the Konoha ninja were expecting an attack. This had all been done in secrecy. The target's true identity had been kept secret for thirteen years. It surely could not leak our now. Kurenai had taken point, Sasuke and Sakura were to the right, Kiba and Shino were to the left and Naruto and Hinata were behind. The walked close together, not talking. There was no need to. This was a priority mission. Announcing the Fourth's daughter would increase Konoha's position and make any country that wanted to attack think twice. The Fourth had left quite an impression in the shinobi world.

"Ah!" the target finally said screamed. "I can't bear this any more." She turned round and pointed at Naruto. "I can feel you looking at me. What's your problem?"

"You mean other than the fact that I'm at the top of your 'to kill' list?" Naruto said dryly. The girl advanced on Naruto, her eyes cold.

"You are lucky Jiraiya-sama convinced me not to go after you," she said menacingly.

"And you're lucky I'm the understanding type," Naruto said, "or else you wouldn't be standing there." The girl gave Naruto a leer.

"Don't give me that crap," she said. "You don't attack me because you know I'm more valuable than you are. One wrong move on your part and you're done for. I have all the time in the world to exact my revenge, demon." She was right. Naruto closed his eyes, trying to control his temper. He could feel the Kyuubi battling for control, trying to escape and exact its revenge. It had been two weeks since he had first met the Fourth's daughter, and ever since he had avoided her, not because he feared her, but because just being near her was a battle, not just to exact his own revenge for being the one that was spared, but also because the Kyuubi taunted him and would constantly come to the surface, eroding away his mental barriers. She was bad news for him, plain and simple. Naruto took in a deep breath before he started walking onwards.

"What are you doing, idiot?" Sasuke said. "You're breaking formation."

"Naruto!" Sakura said. "You can't just leave the principle open like that." Naruto ignored them both and kept on walking. He finally understood the glee the Advisors had felt when they had briefed Team 7 and Team 8 for this mission. They wanted to break him mentally and emotionally, bring him to heel. He would not give them the satisfaction. Never. He passed Kurenai, who grabbed his arm.

"Get back in formation," she said curtly. Naruto looked up at her, and Kurenai's arm withdrew in reflex as she saw Naruto's red eyes. When had the boy learnt to call upon and control the chakra of the Kyuubi so well? She thought it only came to him in highly emotional situations. And what's more, he was able to hide the fact that he was using it, which would make him very dangerous indeed, if he lost control and attacked the principle.

"On second thought," she said, not revealing her thoughts, "Hinata and Naruto will take point while I take their former position." The tree quickly switched.

"And Hiarashi-san?" Kurenai said, addressing the Fourth's daughter. "Please try to keep your feud quiet. We will not truly be safe until we reach Konoha in a few days' time." Hiarashi looked at Kurenai with hard eyes before nodding slowly.

_She's a spoilt one, she is_, Kurenai thought.

XXX

The attack came from nowhere. One moment all had been quiet, and the next Kurenai was surrounded by three masked shinobi wearing no forehead protectors to identify themselves.

"Forget about me, protect the principle!" Kurenai shouted, forming hand seals at the same time.

"You should be worrying about yourself," one of the attackers said gruffly. Kurenai disappeared, and a second later, a tree started appearing behind each of the attackers, the branches twisting around an attacker. The enemies tried to struggle but to no avail. Kurenai appeared above each enemy with a kunai in hand; she had made two shadow clones. They struck the enemies straight to the heart, and all three toppled to the ground, the branches releasing them. The trees disappeared and there were two props and bursts of smoke. A moment later Kurenai stood, looking hard at the three fallen shinobi.

"Pitiful," she said, her voice heavy with scorn.

"Funny, that's what I was about to say," a cold voice said from behind Kurenai. She turned just in time to see another one of the masked shinobi, this one taller and broader than the other three. Even behind his mask a sneer was evident. He moved faster than Kurenai would have thought possible, easily passing by Sakura, Shino and Kiba, whose attempts to stop the shinobi were too slow and clumsy. Sasuke managed to jump in front of the shinobi and aimed a palm strike at the man's sternum. The man doubled over in pain, much to Sasuke's pleasure. However, a moment later, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke, a log taking his place. A laugh emanated from behind Sasuke, and he looked back in time to see a huge fist coming straight toward his face, hitting his jaw with a heavy thunk and sending him flying fifteen feet back. Naruto was on the man in seconds, moving as fast as he could possibly move, his attacks quick and deadly. However, the man easily avoided each one of the attacks, but what he could not avoid in time was the kunai from behind him, which came with deadly accuracy. He managed to move out of the way so that it only hit the flesh of his upper arm. He jumped away and spun in the air so that he came back down facing what had been behind him. Kurenai was standing five feet from the spot he had been on.

"You're good," the man said with a smile as if his wound did not exist at all, "for a Konoha shinobi that is."

"How dare you insult Konoha?" came a shrill voice. The man looked behind the red-eyed kunoichi and saw another blond haired, blue eyed, Konoha shinobi. He smiled.

"Ah, princess," he said, his voice layered with sugar. "How nice it is to finally meet the daughter of the Fourth Hokage." Immediately the Konoha teams surrounded their principle, which only made the man laugh. "Come now, I had heard the princess possessed her father's genius." That was enough to get the girl riled up.

"Don't. You. Dare." The girl said through gritted teeth as she pushed through the barrier of her protectors and rushed at the enemy nin with the same speed the other blond haired genin had used. He laughed as she attacked, but her impressive display of taijutsu was cut short as a scream filled the road, only interrupted by three loud pops.

"Ahhh!" came a voice Naruto recognised all too well. In the second he knew what had happened, how they had been so woefully duped. He turned round, and sure enough, the three nin Kurenai had 'defeated' were alive and kicking. Naruto saw the logs behind the three, and knew that somehow Kurenai had been duped by a genin level genjutsu into thinking that she had felled her enemies. Even as he watched, helpless, too far away too help, he saw the three shinobi holding Hinata, who had been their true target all along. Two shinobi held her down, and the third one, standing in front, made several hand seals.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted at the same time the blond haired boy shouted, "Hinata!". There was a blinding flash of light, and when it cleared a few seconds later, Hinata and her captors were nowhere in sight. Naruto's heart contracted. He turned back, his eyes cold.

"Aw," the last enemy shinobi said in a mocking voice. "Has the little boy's harlot been taken away by the mean big boys?" The man let loose a mad laugh as he stood up from his crouch, the girl, Hiarashi, only a few feet in front of him, also crouching. He performed a few hand seals and jumped back from Hiarashi's lunge.

"Where is she? What are you planning to do with her?" Naruto shouted at the man, who only laughed.

"Complete your mission, kid," the man said with a sneer. "Go back to your village. You won't be seeing the Hyuga harlot ever again. I suggest you deal with that. you are a shinobi, so act like one. A shinobi never shows emotion in any situation, and a shinobi's number one priority is to complete his or her mission. Don't mar Konoha's good reputation like that fool, the White Fang." With that, the man vanished, like his companions, in a flash of light.

Naruto stood, rooted on the spot, staring at the last place he had seen his enemy's haughty brown eyes.

"Well then," Kurenai said in a completely relaxed tone, "I suppose we should continue with our journey to Konoha." Naruto's head slowly swiveled round until he was facing her, his lips forming a snarl, his face white, and his red eyes with vertical slits momentarily wide, before they narrowed considerably, cold and dark.


	19. Volume 1: Explosion! Birth Of A Demon

**I have to warn you that this chapter might be a bit traumatic. I did not take any pleasure in writing this but it had to be done for Naruto and this story to go in the direction I wanted.**

**XXX**

All was still, like the calm before the storm. The killer intent radiating off Naruto was shocking, something only to be expected from a Jonin. Kiba, Shino and Sakura were completely still, not daring to move. Sasuke had his hands in his pockets, his face impassive as he looked at Naruto. Hiarashi, despite trying to appear calm, had a small, smug, smile on her lips. Finally, she had found one of the demon's weaknesses, and if things went her way, the brat would weaken, not only physically but emotionally as well, giving her many tools to work with. Kiba and Shino, being Hinata's teammates and one of the few people she counted as friends, were very interested in Naruto's reaction. Why did Naruto feel so attached Hinata? True the two had found a friendship with one another, but Kiba and Shino had been under the impression all along that Naruto had been more of a mentor to Hinata than actual friend. Obviously they had been wrong. Sakura and Sasuke understood, somewhat, Naruto's reaction. Kakashi had taught them that those who left their comrades were worse than scum, and Naruto had taken that to heart. The fact that Naruto was close to Hinata only increased his attachment to that particular philosophy. Naruto would rather rescue Hinata than complete the mission. Everyone had understood the importance of their mission the moment the identity of their principle had been revealed. Hiarashi was the Fourth's daughter and possessed his genius. She was an excellent shinobi, and she had also inherited her father's store of knowledge. Bringing her back to the village would make any nation think twice before attacking a village that possible had the Yellow Flash's successor. Those nations like Earth Country who had a particular bone to pick with Konoha would not want to face Konoha if it possessed the **Rasengan**, among other powerful jutsu. Also, if Hiarashi made it back to the village, she had the ability to locate and open her father's Vault, which rumour had it was home to the Fourth's own Library that catalogued a whole range of knowledge that surpassed even the Third's, who was said to be the God of all shinobi for knowing and possessing all the ninjutsu that existed in Konoha. Armed with that, even if somewhat undermanned, Konoha could be victorious in any attack on its borders. This was the knowledge Team 7 and Team 8 possessed, and they knew how important it was for Konoha's future for Hiarashi to be brought to Konoha. A much more skilled team could have been sent, ANBU perhaps, but the Council had hoped the presence of shinobi her age would be more welcome to Hiarashi. Many hopes rode on the complete of this mission, and as such it was Kurenai's duty to make sure it was completed; her honour also hung on this mission.

"Naruto," Kurenai said with a sigh, regretting her frivolous comment. "You know what is at stake. This mission must be completed at all costs. Hiarashi must be brought back to the village at all costs. This mission was voluntary. Hinata knew the risks and she still decided to go ahead with it. Respect her sacrifice Naruto. She was my student. I knew her far longer than you did. I loved her like a daughter. This is not easy for me as well, Naruto!"

Naruto ground his teeth, his whole body tense. "Why are you speaking as if she's already dead?" he asked, his voice soft but full of venom. _She decided to continue with this mission because of me! I knew I should have talked sense into her. Despite her growth, she still has some lingering self-doubt. I was too hot-headed to see that! And because of me she's been abducted!_

"Listen to Kurenai-san," Hiarashi said, her voice positively filled with glee. Now the demon knew what it was like to suffer! How sweet this small taste of victory was. "I am your prerogative. Don't mar Konoha's reputation with any rash acts. We do not need another Sakumo Hatake. Do something right for once and-"

"You!" Naruto hissed, pointing a trembling finger at Hiarashi. "Don't. Say. A word." Naruto said, emphasizing each word. Hiarashi's smile became more pronounced but she did not say anything. Naruto turned his attention back to Kurenai, who seemed to be slowly losing the energy in her body.

"Please don't question me, Naruto. It's best if we simply complete this mission as soon as we can."

"But Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba protested, finally coming out of his silence. "This is Hinata-chan, our teammate! We can't abandon her!" Akamaru barked fervently, showing his support of what Kiba had said.

"And we know how the Cloud has been anxious to acquire the Byakugan Bloodline Limit for decades now. Is it not also in Konoha's best interest to save Hinata from her captors seeing as she doesn't have the Caged Bird Seal to protect the secrets of the Byakugan?" Shino shifted under his large coat, a show of great emotion for him. He too had become attached to Hinata.

"You are grasping at straws, Shino-kun," Hiarashi said. "Any Cloud threat would have been detected by the special ANBU group dedicated to protecting the Byakugan, especially from the Cloud."

"I have to agree," Kurenai said. "The most likely option would be that Hinata will be held for ransom, in which case she is perfectly safe. Now let's go. Konoha is only a six hours away. The quicker we get there the quicker a squad can be sent to rescue Hinata. Move out!" Kurenai turned round and started walking, expecting her orders to be followed. Hiarashi gave Naruto a smirk before following.

"It's unpleasant, despicable, I know" Sasuke said, looking at Naruto, "but it has to be done." With that he too turned round and started walking toward Konoha. Sakura hesitated for a moment, her conscience and infatuation warring against each other, but the look Naruto gave her made up her mind. She ran to catch up with Sasuke and Kurenai.

"Damn…" Kiba muttered, his whole body shaking. He had the loyalty of a dog, and as such abandoning Hinata was the last thing he wanted to do. A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder.

"We tried," Shino said calmly. "The three of us are no match for those shinobi. It would be suicide and a waste to go after them and get killed. The only option we have left now is to hurry to Konoha and get reinforcements. You know Hinata would not want us to waste our lives on a lost cause." Kiba's trembling stopped and he sagged as if from a great weight.

"That doesn't make it any easier," he muttered.

"No," Shino agreed. Akamaru whimpered. After a minute Kiba started running, Shino right beside him. There was no time to waste. Naruto simply stood there, a specter invisible. So this was the way Konoha shinobi behaved, the cowards. He appreciated the toughness of the decision Kiba and Shino had to make, but Sasuke and Sakura too? Kurenai-san? It was despicable. He had always admired how Konoha shinobi helped one another, even though he was never on the receiving end of any help himself. But this? Abandoning Hinata like this? His killer intent spiked as his thoughts went back to the first time he had taken her under his wing, when he had saved her from the two Hyuga patrol guards by using his concealment scroll. Right at the moment he had held her in one arm while his other held the scroll, he had felt something. When he had looked into her big eyes, his heart had thumped rather loudly. He had felt a connection to the Hyuga kunoichi then, even though he never understood it. But now he had begun to understand that link. She was a kindred spirit in many ways. He had recognised his own pain in her eyes. She too suffered, and that had made him want to protect her. He had sworn to keep her from harm, and although that particular promise had been only for the Chunin Exams, he now understood he had meant it for life. No matter what the others said, not matter the odds, he would save Hinata.

"Vermin!" Naruto spat, and he realized he did not mean the kidnappers. All his hatred for Konoha and what it had done to him suddenly sprang to the surface. In his years with Jin-sensei, Taita-sensei, and Sakumo-sensei, he had learnt not to hate the villagers for he was their protector. He had learnt that they did not truly hate him but merely feared what he carried. That was what he chose to believe to make his tasks easier, but deep down he realized he did not believe a word of it. They hated him. They abandoned him. Before these thoughts took root he turned and started walking and was swallowed by the shadows of the trees. He had a mission. He could not dwell on his own pain.

XXX

"That idiot!" Sakura swore for the fifth time.

"This is Naruto," Sasuke said exasperatedly, making the mistake of answering her. "What did you expect? He's an idealistic idiot."

"But now we've lost two on this mission," Sakura said with a hint of panic in her voice.

"We haven't lost anyone," Sasuke said with so much sureness in his voice that Sakura was forced to look at him. She stopped beside Sasuke who was now looking at the afternoon sky. "Not many, if any, realize the genius that is Naruto."

"Genius…?" Sakura said, unable to believe the words coming from Sasuke-kun's mouth. Sasuke did not speak for a few seconds, his hands in his pockets.

"Yes," he said finally. "A genius. Naruto has a different kind of genius from the likes of me and Neji. It's the genius of hard work. At first I refused to acknowledge such a stupid idea, but after all I have seen Naruto do, my view has changed. He is able to produce Uchiha-class **Katon** techniques, which cannot be said for even the Hokage. He is able to master techniques and make them his own, even though it might take him longer than others to do so. He has inherited the Will Of Fire, Sakura. He is a true Konoha shinobi. You might not believe it, but Naruto and I were once close friends, back when we first began at the Academy, but then …" Sasuke looked down from the bright sky, and Sakura knew he was reliving that fateful night. After a moment, Sasuke spoke again. "We drifted apart as I concentrated on my training and he went away shortly after for six and a half years. True a rivalry has sprung up between the rookie of the year and the dead last, but I understand Naruto better than most – and vice versa – and what few realize is just how far Naruto has come. I see it with my Sharingan when I look at him. His aura is more powerful. I do not doubt for a moment that we haven't seen Naruto's full capabilities. Don't worry, Sakura. He is a stubborn person. He will not die easily. He is not stupid. He will think of something." With that Sasuke started walking again, leaving a slightly confused and jealous Sakura.

XXX

Naruto sat in the lotus position, his fingers rubbing his temples. He rarely had time to think, especially when on a mission, but when he could he meditated like this. It helped unlock his photographic memory and made thinking about strategies much easier. He looked back at the brief fight that had ensued since the appearance of the four masked shinobi. He analyzed all their techniques, trying to glean information from that. He shouted random words at random times, never making any coherent sense. This was how he operated; better out than in. His subconscious would realize a bit of important information and as a result he would shout the word and bring the information to his conscious mind. It took a long time, but after a while, he got it. He saw in his mind in slow motion how the shinobi acted and how they had managed to fool Kurenai. There had been no genjutsu to begin with. Judging by the bead of sweat of one of the shinobi's forehead it had cost him a lot just to get to Hinata. He now saw that although the three shinobi could work well together and were very good, the main threat had always been the last shinobi with the Jonin vest on. Naruto suddenly realized from the design of the Jonin vest that … no, it couldn't be. Naruto put it out of his mind and stood up, his plan heavy within his mind. He would save Hinata.

He jumped into the trees and crouched on a branch, getting out of the open clearing and waiting for the cover of darkness to execute his plan. He crouched there, looking toward the west, his eyes reflecting the orange tint of the sun. From above him there was a sudden intake of breath and a small thump as a toad the size of Naruto's head landed next to him.

"I have located them Naruto," Gamakichi said. "They are five miles north-west. I heard one of them say they would make camp in one hour's time."

"So that means they are now probably seven or eight miles in front," Naruto said, calculating the distances roughly. "I should probably start moving now so that I reach them just after they make camp and are at their most tired and off-guard."

"Are you sure this is alright," Gamakichi asked a little nervously. "That Jonin gave me the creeps." Naruto nodded.

"I made a promise, Gamakichi," he said heavily. Gamakichi nodded.

"Well, good luck!" and with that comment, the little toad disappeared.

"I'll need it," Naruto whispered before jumping onto the next branch and making his way north-west."

XXX

It had been a long day, but their efforts had paid off. Three weeks on planning and their plot had come to fruition. It had not been easy shadowing the Konoha shinobi without being detected, but thankfully the group had been constantly off their guard, thinking they were safe from the worst within their own borders. How wrong they were. A shinobi was never safe.

"You have outdone yourself, sir," one of the shinobi said. Ever since they had acquired the target they had discarded their disguises.

"Truly," the second echoed. They all knew of their leader's famed abilities.

"…But," the third one said with some trepidation, "wouldn't it have been better to abduct the Fourth's daughter. She is worth more than one Hyuga." The other two tensed. No one ever questioned the leader. But the leader seemed in good spirits and did not react adversely.

"No," he said, laying his back against a tree trunk, his eyes closed contentedly. "She is no doubt worth a lot to Rock Country and same such nations, but she does not possess any Kekkei Genkai most shinobi would pay handsomely for. The Hyuga has the Byakugan, and what's more, it is not protected by the Caged Bird Seal. Many missing nins would love to get their hands on the secrets of the Byakugan, and even some Hidden Villages. Amegakure and Kumogakure have already made very handsome offers, and one of the Snake Sannin's subordinates by the name of Kabuto approached me the day before we set out with a very generous offer. All we need is to do now is to go back to our potential buyers, tell them of the competing price, and if they are able to match it, they get the goods. If we even manage to get 1 above what Orochimaru has offered we are set for life, and the several afterlives. Also, selling it to the right buyer can ensure our protection in later years should trouble arise. I had not planned on selling to Orochimaru at any stage. His is not a good reputation to be associated with. One of the Hidden Villages would be a good buyer, possibly Amegakure because it is a small one and therefore will attract little attention. But think of it; if they remain quiet and manage to discover the secrets of the Byakugan, all their shinobi will have an advanced bloodline limit. They will be invincible in battle. They might just rise to the top of the food chain, and we'll be the people who made it happen." The other three shinobi looked at their leader in awe. He had painted a rich tapestry that they could not deny. They were drawn to it like bears to honey. He was indeed smart.

"Forgive my doubts!" the shinobi shouted, kowtowing. The leader merely smiled. Everything was going smooth. He stretched and stood up.

"I'm going to that little village to get some supplies. Guard the prisoner well, but I don't think she will give us any trouble, and it will be at least tomorrow morning before any Konoha shinobi start looking for her. We will be safely out of their reach by then." With that he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

XXX

Hinata was drowsy. She could not think straight. She groaned, and regretted it the next moment because her pounding headache only worsened. She tried to roll onto her side in case she vomited, but she found she did not have the energy. She simply lay there, limp, her vision blurry as she tried to open her eyes.

"Looks like she's waking," she heard a voice say, a voice which seemed, to her, too loud to be normal. Just what had they drugged her with? She groaned, her headache getting worse. She heard an evil chuckle.

"Hey, do you fancy some fun?" she heard another voice say, different from the first.

"You're sick, you know that?" a third voice said, disgust heavy in its voice. She heard another chuckle, this time from the first voice. She felt someone suddenly left her head, and her nose was suddenly assailed with a rotten smell. The effects of the drug were expelled instantly, but instead she suffered from a bout of nausea and she vomited all over the man.

"Bitch!" the man said, slapping her, and she moaned at the sharp pain on her cheek. "I'll teach you to vomit on my vest! Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!" He slapped her each time, his blows heavy.

"Stop it," the third man said, his voice severe. "We need her intact, especially her head." The man on top of Hinata grunted and stopped. Hinata could taste blood inside her mouth.

"Well," the man on top of Hinata said, his voice suddenly full of glee, "don't worry, her head will be intact alright." He took off his vest, revealing a shirt underneath with ripped sleeves, emphasizing his physique. Hinata bothered to look at his face, and she saw that he was young, possibly 19, and he was very good looking. She knew under different circumstances she would have been attracted to him. That thought brought tears to her eyes. The man laughed, his great chest heaving.

"**Jyuken**!" Hinata shouted as she hit the man's chest. His laughter only increased. Hinata stared at her hand, shocked. She could not summon any chakra. What drug was this?

"I see the leader's concoction worked. Go ahead and fight, little girl, it will only make this sweeter for me." He laughed again, and the other shinobi laughed as well, wolf-whistling. She heard a disgusted noise from the third teammate, who se saw from the corner of her eye turn away from this scene. She started crying in earnest now. She knew what was going to happen to her.

"Yes, little girl," the man said, taking off his belt. "Just lie there quiet and I won't hurt you … much." The other shinobi laughed harder at this. The man removed his trousers and looked at Hinata with glowing eyes, radiating menace. She closed her eyes in pain as she felt his wondering hands on her body, ripping off her jacket.

XXX

Naruto landed on the tree, slightly out of breath. It was night. He jumped down to the ground. The chances of being detected were lower this way. He made a shadow clone and then formed another set of hand seals and started sinking into the ground. He knew Hinata was only a ways ahead. The shadow clone would scope out the terrain and the information would be relayed to him. He knew he could eliminate the three chunin if he acted quickly and with the element of surprise on his side.

The shadow clone performed the **Kakuremino**, the Cloak of Invisibility jutsu. It may be a basic Academy level jutsu, but it would get the job done. With his genjutsu in place, the shadow clone moved like a wraith over the ground, looking for the enemy. It took him only a few minutes of searching, and what he found was a grim sight. The leader, the one Naruto has singled out as the group's only strong point, was talking, while the other three listened, Hinata laying forgotten beside the leader. Naruto heard their plans for Hinata, and his jaw clenched. If only they had taken Hiarashi. The leader took off, and something about that **Shunshin** bothered him. He put it out of his mind. He looked back at the three remaining shinobi.

"…No…" Naruto whispered as he watched the horrid scene before him. He may only be a shadow clone of the original, but he was a perfect clone, and therefore he experienced a horrible turn in his stomach as one of the shinobi ripped off Hinata's jacket. He lost control then.

"No!" he shouted, jumping into the clearing, a kunai in hand. The three shinobi looked at him with surprise, but they were quick to react. The one over Hinata, being in such a compromising position, didn't have enough time to avoid the kunai and howled in pain as Naruto pierced his left shoulder. He backhanded Naruto away, hissing as he rose to his feet. The other two shinobi landed beside him, bodies ready for a fight.

"Go away, punk," the shinobi who had been attacking Naruto said. "Leave now and we won't hurt you." Naruto just growled and attacked, but instead of his kunai hitting the middle shinobi, he found both his arms held by the other two. The middle shinobi smiled and his hand darted toward Naruto's neck. He started squeezing.

"You should have listened brat, but now you're gonna die knowing I'm gonna have some quality time with the Hyuga bitch." He laughed before giving a final, hard squeeze. Naruto poofed out of existence, and for a second all three shinobi looked on it confusion at what had just happened. That was all the opening the real Naruto needed. He jumped out of the ground, both his hands containing black orbs with crackling turquoise chakra. Naruto hit the two shinobi that had been holding him straight in their chests, his **Chisemi** biting deep into their breasts and shattering several ribs to a million pieces before the force of the blows sent them flying back. Naruto ducked under the fist he had seen coming his way. He shifted his weight and turned ninety degrees, pulling back both his arms. When he completed his turn he thrust both palms at the man's chest, hitting him with the last dregs of both his **Chisemi**. The man flew back like an arrow and crashed into a tree trunk, denting it so much it fell from the force.

"I knew you were something else brat," a voice said from behind Naruto. Naruto felt a kneecap assault his back and he felt himself lifted into the air. A kick connected with his ribs, sending him higher into the air whilst he spiraled. Finally, as he came down, a fist connected with his stomach, launching him twenty feet away. He hit the ground with a thump. His eyes were watering. He got to his feet with a lot of effort, grunting all the while. He looked up and saw the leader wearing that sneer that claimed to be better than him.

"I didn't actually count on you being stupid enough to come after us on your own, but then again, I didn't think you'd be strong enough to take my men out of commission. That was an interesting jutsu you used to go underground, one used by Rain nin, if I'm not mistaken." Naruto's eyes widened. This man had been onto him the moment he used the Underground Fish Projection technique. He was being watched this entire time. How had he not known this?

He ran at the shinobi, killer intent radiating off him. The man merely laughed and launched a fist at Naruto's head faster than Naruto could react. The uppercut sent Naruto into the air. The shinobi jumped up and kicked Naruto in the stomach, sending him higher. He landed on a tree and used chakra to propel him above Naruto and performed an axe kick on Naruto spine, sending Naruto hurtling back to the ground. He made several hand seals and vanished, reappearing on the ground. He was bent on one knee and so Naruto landed on the man's other knee, his chest shouting in protest at the blow it had just received. He couched up copious amounts of blood as he slid off the man's knee. The man laughed, his malevolent voice echoing across the clearing and into the forest.

"Is that the best you can do demon?" he said, his voice overly loud in Naruto's ears. "Pathetic. I expected more from you. I thought this girl was a precious person to you? Is that all you're going to do to save her?" Naruto groaned as he struggled to get up, all the while screaming in his head; _get up, get up, get up, get up!_ The man merely kicked Naruto down.

"Perhaps I should take a leaf from my subordinate's book," the shinobi said, and Naruto tilted his head to see what new method this man was going to use. His whole body was aching. This man had made sure to hit all of Naruto's major points so as to take him out immediately and efficiently, and he wasn't even out of breath. He watched with increasing horror as the man went to Hinata and caressed her cheek.

"Don't … you … dare," Naruto whispered fiercely, his lungs unable to get enough oxygen in to shout with. The man merely laughed.

"You were an idiot to come here, though I must thank you for getting rid of these fools for me. That just means more money for me!" The man laughed again and licked Hinata's cheek. She shrieked and whimpered as the man lifted her up by her hair. "And now for your troubles you are going to watch me defile this little beauty before I kill you."

"Naruto…" Hinata whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. _Don't worry_, she wanted to say. _Run away!_ But she did not have the willpower.

"Hinata," Naruto said despairingly. Because of him this was going to happen to her. Tears started streaming down his own eyes. _…Hinata!_ Naruto saw the disgusting sight in front of him, Hinata's clothes in tatters and the man laughing maniacally. And then he finally grasped what it was about this man that had bothered him. He remembered the Sunshin, the clothes the man wore, the jutsu he had seen the man perform, and finally, dreading it, his eyes travelled to the man's forehead, and sure enough, what he had not deigned to notice jumped right in front of him. The man was a Konoha shinobi, a defected Konoha shinobi. As he looked at the man, a sudden memory sprung out at him. He had seen this man with Iruka-sensei, and remembered one of the ANBU saying something about calling back forces from a hunt. Now he knew. This man had defected when the portents of war had become apparent. He was a deserter, a coward, and now here he was, proudly wearing the hitai-ate of Konoha, not even scratching it to show he was a missing nin. Something in Naruto snapped then.

XXX

_**What a surprise**__, a voice commented dryly. It gave a chilling laugh, full of menace and scorn. Naruto groaned and stood up. Even in his own mind it was difficult to move. __**I guess you want my chakra again, hm? Pathetic. I told you, you are weak, brat. If only you would remove this seal, I could grant you all my power. Things like this would not happen because you would be strong, unstoppable, instead of the weak little boy before me.**_

"_Shut it," Naruto said, breathing heavily, "I know your game. You can't convince me to free you." He needed chakra, and fast. "Now give me your chakra Kyuubi!," he hissed. "I need it now! Hinata is in danger. I'm going to kill the vermin that did this," Naruto said vehemently. Kyuubi laughed._

_**Do you honestly think you can defeat such a strong opponent? Your chances are low. You have a better chance to run away. Go, Naruto, run, and maybe I will think about lending you my chakra.**_

"_Don't even talk like that! I will come in there and take the chakra myself, Kyuubi! I made a promise and I'm going to keep it, even if it kills me. I'm going to tear apart those vermin for what they've done. Its unforgivable!" Kyuubi chuckled at this puny human's declarations._

… _**Very well**__, Kyuubi said, his eyes twinkling. __**This will be interesting to watch. You said you will rip these people apart, right? And you always keep your word? Very well then, show me what you can do, Naruto …**_

_A red flow of chakra seeped through the bars of the golden gates, and surrounded Naruto in a whirlpool .Naruto gasped despite his gratitude that the demon had given him its chakra._

XXX

The man laughed, his hands groping the Hyuga bitch. This was more fun than he had imagined. He looked at the demon brat, wanting him to know just how much he was enjoying this. He froze completely, his mouth hanging open like a fish's.

"…what the hell…?" he whispered. The eyes that were looking at him now weren't the tearful blue ones he remembered, but were a hateful red that radiated killing intent the liked of which he had never felt. He unwittingly dropped the Hyuga girl and jumped to his feet.

Naruto slowly got to his feet, all his wounds healed. He dusted himself off, his long claws raking at the fabric of his clothes. He gave the shinobi a venomous look. Inside, he was awe-stricken. So this was the full power of one tail. He felt ten times as powerful as he usually was, invincible. He stretched out an arm, looking at the wisps of red chakra roiling off him. He looked back at the enemy.

"I am going to deal with your subordinates before I deal with you," Naruto said, and disappeared in a flash of red. He appeared before the first shinobi and struck out with his hand, slicing off the man's head. He disappeared and appeared next to the second man and repeated the process, this time taking a second to look into the dying man's horror stricken eyes. He gave the man a smile. The fear excited Naruto.

"Stop or I'll kill her!" shouted the leader. He had heard that the demon brat had grown a little strong, but he had never imagined something like this. He had fought many enemies, but he had never felt such an ancient, corrosive chakra. It bore down on his very soul. He could barely breathe. "Stop," he uttered, his voice weaker this time. he was afraid. Naruto smiled, the man's fear assailing his nose.

"Maybe I will leave this vermin for last," Naruto said, standing up, his right hand dripping with blood. "After all, he was the one who came up with this whole idea." The man in question uttered a sound of fear. The two holes in his chest prevented him from moving, and his arms were out of commission so he could not even form hand seals. He was a sitting duck.

The leader smirked and the kunai in his hand made for Hinata's head. At least he would take out the Hyuga girl before he died. But this small victory was denied him as a red hand came out of nowhere and stopped the kunai a long way before it hit the target. His heart gave a palpitation as he looked down into those endless red pools of blood. He gave a shriek as he was suddenly hoisted into the air by a rope made entirely out of chakra.

"Do you know," Naruto said almost conversationally, "that there is a limit to the amount of pain the human body can take before you pass out? Well, I was studying one night and found the cause of that. in your spine, between the fourth and fifth vertebrae, there is a little something that releases endorphins, which in turn numb you to the pain and render you unconscious. Well, I found a way around that. I read it annoyed Ibiki Morino, Konoha's head interrogator, when his victims passed out. He would often have to limit himself because he wanted his victims to live through their pain. Well, I found his solution. Now let's see just how much pain you can stand before you go insane." The defector screamed as he felt another limb of chakra pierce his back, and then the world exploded in pain as the mechanism that limited pain in the human body was pierced and destroyed. He could suddenly feel everything around his body, the very clothes he worse were very uncomfortable, bordering on painful.

"Ah, I see increased sensitivity is a side effect," Naruto said, his voice much deeper and not that of a normal human being anymore. "Good," Naruto said, licking his lips.

XXX

"I see," Homura said slowly. Before him stood team 7 and team 8, and a little to the side, folding her arms, was the Fourth's daughter, Hiarashi. "Honorable daughter, please go with the guide. He will show you to your father's mansion. I am sure you want to get acquainted with your new residence as soon as possible." Hiarashi paused for a moment before bowing to the two Advisors and going out of the room.

Koharu stood up, her old face more lined than ever. "I will alert Hiashi-san immediately," she said in her gravelly tones. "I am sure he would like his own shinobi to take care of this business. It is most unfortunate. Young Hinata had been growing exponentially."

"Most unfortunate? Is that all you have to say?" Kiba barked furiously. "Hinata's been kidnapped!"

"Kiba," Kurenai warned. "Respect your elders. If you want something to do you can go to the Hyuga Compound and tell Hiashi-san what has happened." That was all Kiba needed to hear. He grabbed Shino's arm and the two ran out of the room.

"Thank you, Kurenai-san," Homura said. "I would have sent a squad to go retrieve your student but we are currently on a shortage. We have pulled as many shinobi out of retirement as we can, but still we are faced with depleted forces. We will just have to hope Hiashi-sama can do something about that."

"Of course, Homura-sama," Kurenai said bowing.

XXX

"I told you to stop worrying, Sakura," Sasuke said, his voice impatient. "All that fidgeting is annoying."

"I'm not worrying!" Sakura shouted, but instantly she quieted down. "But Naruto and Hinata … to lose them both on the same day. I feel that we should have at least done something." Sakura was reduced to small gestures as the words left her. Her mind was a big confusion.

"Don't worry! Naruto isn't stupid. I bet the idiot is waiting for reinforcements before he will do anything. He's not big enough an idiot to attack those four." Sakura made a small noise and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine, let's go to the gate and wait for those reinforcements. Since we have nothing to do we might as well go to that idiot's rescue." Sakura squealed when she heard the '_we_' in Sasuke's sentence. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, especially when she latched onto his arm and wouldn't let go. He grumbled but decided to walk with her. The looks she got as they made their way toward the gates from the others girls were more than enough to mollify him.

"I see you decided to come as well," one of the guards on duty said.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, disengaging his arm from Sakura.

"Hiashi-san was in a terrifying rage when he heard about Hinata. he immediately selected twenty of his branch members to go on the rescue mission. They are to meet here in about ten minutes. Kiba and Shino went to restock on their gear. That loudmouth Inuzuka was spouting off to Hiashi-san saying he would not be left behind. Of course Hiashi-san didn't seem to care much, though he warned Kiba not to get in the way."

"So those two are going. This should make things interesting," Sasuke commented.

"Ah, here is the Hyuga team," the other guard commented. Sakura and Sasuke turned to se Kiba and Shino walked in front of a group of twenty Hyuga dressed in their traditional robes. The only sign of a weapon was the weapons pouch each person had tied to their waist.

"We're moving out," one Hyuga said who seemed to be the leader. His Byakugan was activated, which gave his already impatient and scary face an even deadlier tone. "You four _genin_ stay in the middle where we can keep an eye on you and where you will least weaken us. I already have to find another weak little girl, so don't make this harder than its going to be. I wouldn't even be taking you were it not for the fact that Hiashi-sama informed me you would interfere and hinder our efforts." With that he turned and started walking, the Hyuga behind him.

"We'll keep to the ground for now. We do not want to alert the enemy of our approach. Now, I want – what the hell is that!?" the Hyuga suddenly screamed. The four genin couldn't see anything, but the other Hyuga activated their Byakugan and the same expression of horror was on their faces. Akamaru whimpered while the bugs inside Shino started coming out of his sleeves. Finally Sasuke and Sakura felt and saw the big dust cloud coming toward them, and right at the front there seemed to be a being composed entirely out of red chakra. The red orb was moving faster than anything any of these shinobi had ever seen.

XXX

"I hope you will be comfortable in your new home, Hiarashi-san," the chunin said, meaning more than the mansion.

"As much as I like this mansion, I will never be comfortable inside Konoha." The chunin started.

"Why is that? Is there anything I can do to help?" Hiarashi gave a sorrowful shake of her head.

"I don't think there is," she said, and her voice croaked a little.

"Then at least tell me what's bothering you. Please, my duty is to make sure you are happy."

"Happy? I will never be happy until that demon is dead," she said vehemently.

"Oh," the chunin said, understanding in his face. "Well, don't you worry. Now that the Third is gone, may his soul rest in peace, there's no one who is willing to protect the boy. Don't you worry. I bet an opportunity will arise soon enough for a skilled shinobi like yourself to make things right!" Hiarashi turned toward the chunin, her face inquisitive. He was no more than 16, and his eyes showed great hatred for Naruto. As if feeling her gaze he answered her unspoken question.

"My parents were taken fighting the demon, and I had to grow up taking care of my little sister. I became a shinobi to get my revenge. Every time I went to sleep I would reassure my little sister that everything would be alright, that I would take care of her. But I couldn't take care of her. Even now she's in the hospital in a coma. She suffers from some virus the medics can't isolate and cure. If I didn't have to become a shinobi to pay all the bills, I could have been there and seen she was sick earlier. I will never forget the last time I saw her conscious. She wished me well and I promised to bring her back some gifts from the big cities. She was so excited! And now I will never get the chance to see her smile again." He was crying softly at this point, his hands trembling. Hiarashi stood up and went to his side, holding his trembling hands. "And that damned Third wouldn't even let me get my revenge! The demon still lives within that demon spawn, and every time I see him I have to control myself because promised I wouldn't attack him!"

"Hush," Hiarashi whispered softly. "Don't worry. I will make it my mission to make sure your sister gets the treatment she deserves. And you're right; it's not fair that those who have lot loved ones get to see the demon spawn walking around like nothing's wrong. I'm sure there are many others that agree. He needs to die so we can all continue with our lives." The young chunin nodded, wiping his eyes.

"I'm sorry for burdening you with my trivial problems, Hiarashi-san."

"Nonsense! We Konoha shinobi take care of each other. That's what sets us apart from the other shinobi nations. Now come, show me around Konoha. I have heard it has a great Ramen stand like no other."

XXX

Naruto watched the life slowly fade away in the defector's eyes, the expression of horror still on his face. He turned his back on the limp body, releasing it from his chakra tail so it fell onto the ground with a thump. Blood was plastered on his face from head to toe, some of it caked dry on his face. Naruto slowly approached Hinata, his steps uncertain. Would she forgive him?

"…Naruto," Hinata whispered, and that was all the motivation Naruto needed. He was at her side in moments. He looked down at her face, stroking her cheek.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered.

"…Naruto," Hinata whispered again, and this time Naruto got enough courage to look into her eyes. They were glazed over.

_She's in shock!_ Naruto realized. Gently but firmly, he told Hinata what he was doing as he did it, taking off her ripped clothing and giving her his, leaving him only in his shirt and boxers. He washed her face and took a few more minutes to calm her down. From the slight twitching of her head he knew the event had severely traumatized her. He lifted her up bridal style. He needed to get her back to Konoha and to the medics while she was still in the early onset of her trauma.

Naruto started walking when he heard a sniffle behind him. He looked back and saw the shinobi that had been saved by the leader. He formed a hand seal and a moment later two shadow clones grabbed the man. He tried to protest but his injuries and his fear hindered his progress. The shadow clones easily carried him. Naruto would deal with that man later.

It took over an hour, even with all this much chakra coursing through his veins, for Naruto to reach Konoha. He had decided to put one of his theories to the test and had used some of his chakra to form an arrow-like shield around him, and to his surprise and thankfulness his idea had worked. The sharp point of the shield had parted the air in front of him, reducing the air resistance around him and allowing Naruto to run faster than any normal shinobi ever could. As he neared the gates he saw a lot of shinobi gathered, and a second later his overly sharp eyes saw that most of them were Hyuga.

_Too little too late_, Naruto thought venomously.

_**That's right, Naruto,**_ the Kyuubi said from within him. With so much of his chakra coursing through Naruto, the barrier that often separated their consciousness had become thinner, and Kyuubi had found out , much to his delight, that he could talk to Naruto. _**They are all weak, all pathetic excuses for shinobi. They should be eradicated. They violated Konoha's most prized teaching; they abandoned a fellow shinobi. Kill them! You have my power… **_

_Shut up!_ Naruto thought, _I am not going to be killing anyone … apart from the vermin my shadow clones are bringing, of course._ But Naruto knew that with so much demon chakra in him, the Kyuubi's influence on his psyche was larger and soon he might accidentally attack someone. _Do something useful and go away. I'm trying to heal Hinata._

The Kyuubi laughed. _**Simpleton**_, it said. _**The girl is suffering from psychological wounds. My chakra, without the proper knowledge, will not help her one bit. This is the job for a professional, brat. Looks like you fail again, eh? Ha-ha-ha-ha…**_

Naruto gritted his teeth and continued to pump a small amount of his chakra into Hinata. He would do his best no matter what. Naruto jumped sideways, his own shield hindering his progress since he had only made it to allow him to move forwards faster, not in any other direction. However, he managed to avoid the kunai thrown at him. He stopped, his face impatient. Three ANBU appeared, their hands at their swords.

"State your name and business, or else leave, or we will be forced to execute you!" one of them shouted. Naruto stared at them in bafflement, and then realized the solid chakra around him was blocking their view of his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated. In his mind he could see himself floating in a sphere of red chakra. With great difficulty he extracted himself from it. The Kyuubi was not going to give up this temporary reprieve from the boredom of his cell without a fight. But Naruto managed to extract himself without trouble, and the sphere of chakra burst, leaving only a small tendril of chakra connecting Naruto to the large golden gates and the creature beyond it.

Outside, the glowing red shield slowly dimmed until it disappeared. Everyone gasped as they saw a transformed Naruto holding an unconscious Hinata. Naruto's three inch fangs and claws slowly receded until they were almost imperceptible.

"What have you done to Hinata?" the lead Hyuga exclaimed, all his despise of the girl forgotten. Hiashi-sama would not take this well. Naruto growled.

"I didn't do anything to her. Now let me pass. She needs the medics."

"One of the Hyuga can do that," one of the ANBU said. "You have to come with us to the Advisors and report in. You have disobeyed a direct order from your superior, and on top of that you jeopardized an important mission." Naruto shot daggers at the ANBU, and unconsciously he started to slip into a fighting stance. He would not take such accusations from anyone.

"…Naruto." Naruto snapped out of his mindset. It seemed the Kyuubi's effects were lingering still. He held out his hands and the lead Hyuga took her from him. All twenty Hyuga turned heel and started heading for the Hospital.

"Now, Naruto, come with us," the middle ANBU said, and Naruto recognised her as a female. He held up a hand and turned his back to them.

"I have something I need to do first." Before any of them could say anything, another red blur was heading for the gates. It dimmed down as it approached, revealing two shadow clones holding a man between them. The shadow clones looked haggard and poofed out as soon as they deposited the man at Naruto's feet. Naruto looked down at this man, and his anger reignited. Naruto punched the man, breaking his nose into bits. The man howled, the pain more than he could bear. Naruto lifted the man up by his neck, looking into the man's scared brown eyes with his own malevolent red ones.

"I swore I would make you pay, and now I will," Naruto uttered softly so only the man would hear. He then proceeded to calmly break each of the man's fingers, whilst looking into the man's eyes, and the man did not have the willpower to look away. Tears were streaming down the man's eyes.

"Please…" he uttered. Naruto did not listen.

"Naruto!" the last ANBU said. "Stop now. What has this man done?" Naruto threw the man down and bent down next to him. He placed his hands on the man's knee and twisted, shattering the man's kneecap into a thousand pieces. The man howled, drawing the attention of many passer-byes. A fetid stench rose from the man's pelvic area; he had pissed and soiled himself. The man got up using only one leg and jumped away from Naruto.

"No more!" he screamed. "You demon! I will not let you have the pleasure of destroying my soul!" With that he used the last of his strength to jump toward Sakura. The girl, out of reflex, took out a kunai and pointed it at the advancing man. A mere inch from Sakura, the man suddenly stopped as if he had hit a brick wall. Sakura blinked as blood splattered her face, and then screamed, before fainting. Sprouting from the man's chest was a bloody hand, and held within that claw was the man's heart, still beating. Naruto pulled back his hand, ripping the man's heart out. The man gave a throaty gurgle as blood filled his mouth. Naruto kicked the man into the supine position. He was still alive, only having mere seconds to live. Naruto held up the heart to his face and licked the still beating heart. The man screamed, his words now incoherent.

"I shall not be denied," Naruto whispered, and those red eyes filled with hatred and malice were the last thing the man saw before he sank into the darkness, more welcoming than the terror of life. Naruto looked curiously at the heart in his hand before discarding it. He turned to the ANBU, who weren't the only people staring at him with horror.

_Those eyes … those eyes!_ Sasuke thought. They reminded him so much of the eyes he had seen when he was little. They reminded him of the bloodlust and hatred he had seen in Itachi's eyes.

"I'm ready now," Naruto said. Inside he felt a tiny seed squirm. He was done being nice. Today's events had finally revealed his path in life. He knew where he went on from here.


	20. Volume 1: The Puppeteer's Plan

… _She is in a deep coma …_

… _She has suffered from a severe psychotic breakdown …_

… _We do not have the expertise to treat her …_

… _Even if she recovered from the breakdown, an event like this will haunt her forever. I am not sure she can be a shinobi anymore …_

Naruto somersaulted back, dodging the heavy kick by a mere inch. The moment he landed he jumped forward, a kunai in his hand. The enemy merely sidestepped, bringing up his palms to Naruto's arm to deflect Naruto away. Naruto spun in the air and landed, facing back to his enemy in a crouch, the kunai held against his chest. His enemy merely stood there, and then with a burst of speed attacked, his punches and kicks only just being deflected or blocked. Naruto threw his kunai, but his enemy dodged, and taking advantage of the opening in Naruto's guard, he put on an even greater burst of speed and landed a heavy punch on Naruto's chest, sending Naruto flying back. Naruto hit the tree trunk with a heavy thump. A log suddenly replaced Naruto, and a second later Naruto appeared from under the ground as he aimed an uppercut at his opponent, which was barely dodged. Naruto took advantage of his opponent's vulnerability and threw three kunai. They sank into the enemy with a satisfying swish, and the enemy tried to pull out the kunai, but before he had a chance to, the air suddenly got hotter and the area in front of him got brighter. He looked up and saw a string of flame coming at him, and instead of concentrating on the kunai, he jumped sideways. The fire jutsu was more harmful than kunai. However, the fire followed his wake, and he looked down and saw a silvery glint. Too late he realized that the kunai had strings attached to them, and all he could do was watch as the Dragon Fire technique hit him straight in the chest, burning quite a big hole. But the attack wasn't over yet. With the cover of the flames, Naruto appeared behind the enemy, his right hand holding a black orb of concentrated chakra. Naruto's **Chisemi** went straight through the enemy, and a moment later the enemy's body was in pieces.

Naruto, panting heavily, crumbled to the ground. After a few minutes of rest he stood up. He went to the enemy, or more precisely, the training post he used to practice with. He took out a small scroll from one of the numerous pockets of his black vest. He opened it, and as he sent a small amount of chakra through it, the edges briefly shone blue, before every last piece of the training post exploded into white smoke. The white smoke headed onto the page of the scroll, and after the last wisps had entered, a black kanji in a circle appeared, glowing faintly. Naruto closed the scroll rolling it up and then tied it with a bit of string. He sat down in the _fudoza_ position and took another scroll from his vest. He bit his right thumb, drawing a bit of blood. He then held each scroll in each hand, the blood from his thumb seeping onto the other scroll. The scroll in his right hand started glowing with green chakra, and the green chakra travelled up Naruto's hand up to the shoulder, then went down to his stomach, rose back up to the left shoulder, and finally went down the left arm and onto the scroll in Naruto's left hand, surrounding the scroll in the healing properties of the green chakra. Naruto kept up this process for a minute before he replaced his healing scroll in its pouch, making sure to wipe off his blood. The training post was fully repaired now. Ever since Naruto decided not to carry around his **Taijutsu Aid Scroll**, instead opting to seal away the objects he would be likely to use in smaller scrolls, he had realized that these objects, for example the training post, had to be manually repaired from damage because they were no longer in the **Taijutsu Aid Scroll**, which healed all damage the instant the object was sealed back inside it.

Naruto looked down at the scroll in his left hand, and after a second opened it. He summoned the training post, which was back in perfect condition. It stood there, waiting for the command to engage in combat. Naruto did not give the command, instead simply looking at the training post, his eyes glazed over. It had been a week since he had brought back Hinata, and in that time he had visited her every day, for an hour every morning and evening. He did so discreetly, not want to be seen going to Hinata's room, seeing as her father had banned all interaction with Hinata, except with the medics, of course. Naruto would sit in the room, holding Hinata's hand, simply talking to her. He had been caught, once, but after the medic realized the patient seemed calmer, even more responsive, while the demon brat was around, he had turned a blind eye. After all, as a medic, his first priority was to his patient, and no personal feelings entered into the fray. So far, she had not even woken up, and Naruto was getting more and more concerned. He knew Hinata was strong. Had the experience been _that_ traumatic? The moment the thought crossed his mind, he berated himself heavily. Of course it had been that traumatic. He had slaughtered four shinobi, and that was only his reaction from watching what had been happening. He felt sorry for Hinata. This was his fault. And to that extent, he had set about looking for a solution to fix it. According to the medic who helped to keep his visits clandestine, there was only one person in existence who had a chance to cure Hinata; Tsunade, the Slug Princess.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Naruto looked up and saw a very word out person standing in front of him. However, despite the obvious fatigue, Umino Iruka seemed happy to see him. Naruto smiled.

"Iruka-sensei, how are you?"

"Couldn't be better, Naruto," Iruka said dryly, drawing attention to his dust and blood caked clothes. Naruto chuckled.

"Dangerous mission, then?" he asked, hoping for some details. Iruka smiled.

"Yes it was dangerous, and no I can't tell you anything about it. Besides, almost every mission we have is dangerous. We haven't as yet recovered from the Invasion, you know." Iruka sat down heavily beside Naruto. They sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes, until Iruka broke it.

"Don't let it bother you, Naruto," Iruka said, his face sad.

"Don't let what bother me?" Naruto asked sarcastically. "Don't let the fact that the Yondaime had a daughter and nobody bothered to tell me, bother me? Don't let the fact that the Yondaime's daughter wants to kill me bother me? Don't let the fact that because I was weak and broke a promise, leading to Hinata to be abducted and traumatized into a coma, bother me? Take your pick, Iruka-sensei!" After a few seconds of fuming, Naruto calmed down. He remembered to whom he was speaking. This man was like a father to him. He looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei. All the events that have happened have taken a toll on me."

"Oh Naruto, I know exactly how you feel. When my parents were killed, it seemed that the world was slowly going upside down. If it wasn't for the Third, I don't know what I would have become. You don't need to apologize. But you are a grown person, Naruto, practically a man. You need to recognise what is important to you. You need to concentrate on those good things in life and forget about the bad. Do not become ignorant of them, for that will only result in your own downfall. Only concern yourself with things that are within your power to change." Naruto looked up at Iruka, and a completely alien notion occurred to him, one he would never have thought Iruka possible of.

"Did you go to my apartment looking for me?" he asked casually. Iruka nodded, his eyes on the training post.

"So you know? You are not going to try and stop me?"

"Loved ones are important, Naruto, especially if there are so few of them. They should be cherished," Iruka said, his eyes never leaving the training post. Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Was Iruka-sensei actually condoning the unlawful behaviour he had planned?

"I think I can help you with the problem you have been experiencing," Iruka said, standing up. Naruto blinked. Iruka's tone had changed from the paternal one he had been using, to a lighter hearted one, the one he had used when teaching at the Academy.

"Problem?" Naruto asked confused.

"Yes," Iruka said, circling the training post, his eyes evaluating it. "The post is a little stale, yes? It lacks originality, spontaneity. In short, it's not really helping you train to fight other shinobi, correct?" Naruto nodded. Defeating the post had become easier, the only barrier being that the post could move faster, was stronger, and anticipate his moves. Iruka nodded again and stopped, facing the post head on. He took a blank scroll from his vest and opened it. He placed it on the ground and bit his thumb. Iruka wrote a seal on the scroll, a very complicated seal, and after he had finished, he waited for the blood to dry before placing his palm on the seal and pushing his chakra through it. After he had pushed in a fair amount, he rolled up the scroll, tied it, made a hand seal, and slowly pushed the scroll into the post's head until it vanished with a small pop. The post started shimmering, and after a few seconds, it stopped. Naruto raised an eyebrow. The post now looked more human, with human facial and body features more noticeable, and the outline of clothes apparent on its thick, wooden body.

"There," Iruka said with a smile. "That should help." Iruka jumped into an explanation, forestalling Naruto's question. "I have imbued the post with my aura, and now when it fights, it will use all _your_ knowledge of ninjutsu along with _my_ knowledge, skill, and experience. So now it would behave as I would in the same situation. My blood and chakra should ensure that, and the seal I wrote means that now any ninja who you want to can simply write his name on the post's forehead, imbue it with some chakra, and there is another load of skill and experience. The more you gather, the better equipped the post is to behave like a real shinobi, and the more and better practice you get for real life situations." Naruto smiled. His former teacher had on the smile he always wore in class when he had just imparted some '_great_' piece of shinobi knowledge, but this time Naruto actually valued and paid attention. Naruto stood up and bowed.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," he said. Iruka smiled and bowed also.

"I'll see you later, Naruto. I've got to go and report back from my mission." With that, Iruka disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto turned his attention back to the post. He formed a hand seal and reduced the post's fighting level to one. Something told him that was the wisest thing to do.

"Activate!" Naruto yelled, and an instant later the post appeared behind him, silent as a wraith, a kunai in its hand. Naruto felt the sharp bite of metal on his neck. He gulped. He wasn't even ready. Just how good a shinobi was Iruka-sensei? He guessed he was going to find out. The post jumped over Naruto and resumed its position, waiting for the beginning of the next bout. Naruto smiled. This was going to make for an interesting day.

XXX

The room was shrouded in darkness. There was a table in the middle, with twelve cushions around it. Men and women, shinobi and kunoichi, sat on the cushions. None of their faces were discernable, but they all knew each other, so that was not a problem. After all, being on the Council together required trust, seeing as their work benefited them all, benefited Konoha as a whole. A taper candle was in the middle of the table, but instead of illuminating, it only accentuated the darkness.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" asked one person.

"Yes," replied an old, gravelly voice. "The first stage had already gone as planned."

"But what about the second stage?" asked another voice. "It relies too much on luck for my liking." There were murmurs of assent from numerous people.

"It's not luck," another old voice said, "but certainty. Jiraiya feels obligated towards the boy. He will no doubt take him, especially after recent events. The Daimyo wrote a letter describing the boy's time at his palace, also corroborating what we have read in the mission reports for Hiarashi-san's mission. The boy is feeling quite vulnerable at the moment, emotionally unbalanced. A trip away from Konoha would serve to calm him down, or so Jiraiya must think."

"So the Toad Hermit has declined the position of Hokage? I cannot say I'm not disappointed. After all, it was his leadership spirit that the Fourth inherited, and look what a great Hokage he was!" this came from another voice from round the table.

"Nevertheless," the female gravelly voice asserted, "he has done as expected, and therefore served as an unwitting pawn in our plan. Tsunade was always more suited to this than that pervert. And as you might have found out, the ANBU I assigned to make sure Hiarashi-san and the demon brat did not interact reported of Naruto's plans. He plans on looking for Tsunade himself, which greatly increases the chances of him leaving the village, whether Jiraiya takes him or not."

"I cannot help but feel disinclined toward this plan," a youthful voice said. "I have read his file, and by all accounts, he is a loyal Konoha shinobi. The tasks he has achieved only assert this fact." There were murmurs around the table, most of anger and disagreement.

"You forget," the male gravelly voice said, "that he carries the Kyuubi no Yoko. We have no idea how long the Fourth's seal with hold, especially with the boy drawing upon the demon's chakra."

"And the boy could be enticed or otherwise influenced by the Kyuubi to free him or let him take control of the body, and neither option is acceptable. The boy is too much of a risk, especially with us recovering from an Invasion of this magnitude."

"And our sleeper agents around the Fire Country have made sure to let slip to the right people that Jiraiya the Toad Sannin will be travelling with an apprentice, and the description will be more than enough to catch Akatsuki's attention. They will come and take the boy, and we will finally be rid of him."

"I'm the one who should get rid of him!" a young female voice said from the shoulder of a seated member. "It's my right."

"Hush," the female gravelly voice said. "We are doing what's best for Konoha here. Your methods would be too noticeable, and the last thing we need is Jiraiya or any one of the boy's guardians getting suspicious in case you fail. With Akatsuki, we know we won't be suspected, and we most definitely can be assured victory. After all, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame are the team charged with capturing Naruto."

There was a sullen silence, followed by, "I'm sorry, I know what you are trying to accomplish is a worthy goal. Please forgive me."

"Of course you are forgiven. After all, every leader has to learn his/her lessons at one point or another."

"I have just realized," the young voice said. "If Jiraiya and Naruto are stopped by Akatsuki, they will not find Tsunade, which means we will have no Hokage." There was a silence as everyone thought on this.

"That's right," the male gravelly voice said. "It's part of the plan. We cannot afford another emotionally attached person like Sarutobi, and Tsunade is very much like Sarutobi. We, the Council, can rule Konoha until a suitable Hokage can be found … or groomed." Understanding filled the rest of the members.

"I see," the young voice said. "It's unpleasant, especially to one as dedicated as that boy, but it must be done. For the good of Konoha."

"For the good of Konoha," echoed every member.

XXX

For the past two weeks, Naruto's training regiment had been significantly better. With Iruka's seal, Naruto had gone to Kakashi-sensei, who had gladly donated his identity to the post. This way, he could spend more time with Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura spent most of her training time trying to improve her stamina, so Team 7 only met as a whole, to practice their teamwork, only three times in those two weeks. Sakura was clearly avoiding Naruto, her fear for him apparent in her face. Word of Naruto's deeds had spread throughout the village like wildfire, and soon almost ever child was being told to stay away from the demon child. Sakura's own mother had told her not to interact with him unless absolutely necessary. He as unstable. Naruto didn't mind. At least this time there were open about not liking him. It seemed with the death of the Third, hostilities toward him had become much more pronounced. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't react in any way whatsoever. He treated Naruto the same way he always did, and for that Naruto was grateful. At least one person still liked him. He had not seen hair or hide of the other genin. Other than that, Naruto got first hand experience of what is was like to fight someone and be completely outclassed. The experience that Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had of fighting was unbelievable. While the post could not many jutsu, only having access to Naruto's chakra to do Academy level jutsu, it was a little sobering to see what people like Iruka and Kakashi could do with such simple jutsu. He saw just how big a gap there was between ninja such as Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei.

_If I manage to find Tsunade, then I swear I will train so hard I will be better than Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei combined!_

"Busy?" a voice suddenly said, distracting Naruto enough for the post to land one powerful hit.

"Stop!" Naruto managed to splutter, and he heaved a sigh of relief as the kunai stopped an inch from his face. He stood up and dusted himself off vigorously. He looked up, his eyes angry.

"Oh, it's you," he said before he turned his attention back to the post. He made a hand seal and resumed the fight. Instantly the post disappeared, and Naruto cursed. Why did Iruka and Kakashi have to be so darn fast? The post was at its lowest level, but somehow it still ended up being faster than Naruto had ever seen it move. He jumped into the air in time to avoid the sword thrust, and as he twirled through the air, he took out a scroll from one of his pouches, opened it, slammed his hand on the seal, and with a burst of smoke, a hilt less katana appeared. Naruto landed in a crouch, ducking under the slash at his neck. He thrust the katana upwards in a two handed stroke, and the post jumped back to avoid. Naruto saw his opening and took it, keeping the post on the defensive for five whole minutes, his attacks a blur. In his frenzy he forgot all about the person who had interrupted his training session. He lost himself in the shimmering length of the blade, thrusting, slashing, and riposting. The post had the reaction and experience of two elite Konoha shinobi, and Naruto felt proud of his Kenjutsu skills to be able to be this much trouble. Finally, after countless blow, he saw a slight opening in the post's guard, and like a snake, he struck fast. He slid the length of his blade up the post's katana, flicked his wrist sideways and pulled, ripping the sword from the post's hands. He settled back into a stance, his blade an inch from the post's chest. The post suddenly seized up, its arms and legs locking up so that it stood straight; it was what it always did when Naruto won a battle. Naruto heaved a sigh and sunk to the ground, taking deep breaths.

"Impressive. You've improved since last time." Naruto looked up, his face annoyed.

"What do you want, Ero-sennin?" Naruto said flatly. Jiraiya jumped down and landed in front of Naruto. He was smiling.

"Now what way is that to greet me?" he admonished. "After all the effort I spent trying to find you as well. Why don't you use the training areas in Konoha? Why all this way out in the forest?" Jiraiya sat down in the _fudoza_ position, and he pulled an apple from within his red jacket. He rubbed it on his jacket and started eating, the apple crunching audibly in his mouth.

"It's more peaceful out here. No one bothers me, and I can concentrate more. Besides, after last week …" Naruto did not finish. Ever since his little escapade, the villagers had been giving him a wider berth while the most shinobi had been very hostile toward him. The all believed that the Kyuubi was becoming incarnate in him. No normal human would have done what he did. It was inconceivable, no matter the mental stress he had been under.

"Well, I've got the perfect solution!"

"Oh, yeah?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Jiraiya winked at Naruto. "How would you like to go on your first A-rank mission with me kid? We have to find someone, so it's going to take quite a while. In the mean time, you will be getting intensive training from none other than the great Toad Hermit, the first in centuries to tame the great Toad Clan for summoning, me, the great Jiraiya!" Jiraiya stood up and did a little dance, finally ending by summoning Gama and sitting on his back. The poor Toad looked like he was suppressing a sigh. How many times had he been summoned just so he can be part of this demeaning performance?

Naruto blinked. He looked at Gama, who merely stood there patiently. Naruto looked back at Jiraiya. "I have already been part of an A-rank mission. Besides, I have my on mission I need to do. And I don't think I'm going to get much training done with you, Ero-sennin. Most of your time will probably be spent on 'research'. So thanks, but no thanks." Naruto used his katana to lever himself up. He had taken enough resting time. Time to continue with training. Behind Jiraiya's grinning face, the Toad Hermit's eyes softened; this kid reminded him so much of …

"Hey, that hurt," Jiraiya said, jumping off Gama. The Toad heaved a thankful sigh and poofed away, giving Naruto a wink before it did. "I'm not always doing research. Besides, what I heard is that your A-rank mission was officially only a C-rank. This is officially an A-rank kid! Just think how much fun it will be. I'm going to keep you up all day and night with training, and that's a guarantee." Naruto heaved a sigh. Did this man know when to give up?

"You don't have to do this," Naruto said, his legs failing him slightly so that he sagged against the sword. "You don't have to try to make up for anything because you owe me nothing. Hiarashi is your prized student's only heir. It's only right she is your priority, everyone's priority. I'm used to taking care of myself. I accept it; that's my life." Naruto took a deep breath and rose to his feet. He brought his katana to the ready. Jiraiya shook his head and stood up. He went to the limp post, bit his thumb, and wrote his name in full on the post's forehead. He channeled come chakra into the post.

"I see Iruka had improved," he said, more to himself than anyone. "His sealing methods are now as good as Kakashi's, maybe even better." After he was finished channeling chakra, he turned back to Naruto, who was looking at him with an impassive face. "Life doesn't have to be so grim, you know. You have made friends here in Konoha. Forget about all the bad things and focus on the good." Jiraiya jumped into the trees. "I am going to find Tsunade, and something tells me that's what you are planning as well. We could find her faster together. I'll be leaving tomorrow at noon at the Main Gate," his last words carried back to Naruto as he disappeared. Naruto stood there, and then turned back to his post.

"Activate!" Naruto said. The post came alive, and it summoned a sword into its hands. Naruto stood still, his eyes glazed over. After a few seconds, the air around him started to heat up. Naruto's eyes turned red, and a demonic chakra could be felt emanating from him. He had just summoned as much chakra as his natural amount from the Kyuubi. This served two purposes. First of all was that he needed to practice summoning the Kyuubi's chakra. Forcibly drawing it from the Kyuubi was very hard as the Kyuubi himself resisted all the way. Once summoned, he had to work on retaining it or else in a real battle his life might be endangered because he had lost the Kyuubi's chakra. Second of all, something told him that with one of the Sannin's essence in the post, it would become much harder to fight it. Already the post had managed to finally assume human form from the rough composition it had once been, showing just how powerful Jiraiya's essence was. Although it was still apparent it was not human, it now looked like a waxwork puppet, its features apparent but a little blurry. To his surprise, Naruto noticed it wore Konoha shinobi clothes and had the Konoha leaf symbol etched onto its forehead.

"Begin!" he said. The post disappeared, and as Naruto cast about looking for it, his peripheral vision saw a blurred object. He tried to jump away to avoid the attack, but he wasn't fast enough. A second later he hissed as he felt the sharp bite of metal as the sword slash cut into his right forearm. The Kyuubi's chakra suddenly dissipated and Naruto cursed. He would not have time now to summon it again. He would have to fight on his own chakra. Something told him he was going to have a rough night.

XXX

"I'm leaving for a while," Naruto said. Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi looked at him, not saying anything. Finally, Kakashi punctuated the silence.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi said, his voice serious.

_Is he going away because relations between him and the others have gotten so bad after last week? Or is it because of Hinata's condition?_ Kakashi listed off possibilities, but he could not come to any conclusion.

"I've been asked to go on a mission. I'm going with Jiraiya. I don't know when I will return, seeing as the success of our mission dictates that." Kakashi sighed inwardly. Naruto would be safe with Jiraiya, and he would also have time to calm down from the intenseness of the past few weeks.

"A mission? With Jiraiya-sama? Wow, Naruto, that's great!" Sakura said, and she meant it. He was going away with one of the Sannin … which would mean she would be left alone with Sasuke. With Naruto gone, Sasuke wouldn't get so openly hostile and competitive. Everyone wins.

"That wouldn't happen to be the A-rank mission I heard some chunin talking about yesterday, would it?" Sasuke asked, his lips curled. "Try not to freeze up like you did during the Wave Country mission. Someone like Jiraiya doesn't need an idiot like you slowing him down, especially when this mission could easily go up to S-rank when one of the Sannin is involved." Naruto looked at Sasuke. He did not move. He had heard what Sasuke said, and he thought back to when Itachi attacked the village. Kakashi, even now, had barely recovered. By all means he should still be in hospital, but he had wanted to train him Team himself, so now he watched and taught from the sidelines in his crutches. Sasuke was right. That was why Naruto hoped to be able to learn as much as he could from Jiraiya while he was away. He needed to learn to defend himself from people like Akatsuki. After a brief silence Naruto realized what had just gone on. He had been so far away, thinking, that he had not realized Sasuke had insulted him. But to his surprise, he found out that it did not bother him anymore. He did not need to prove anything to Sasuke. He was his own shinobi.

"Whatever," Naruto said, and walked away. No goodbyes, no nothing. Naruto did not want to admit it, but he would miss Team 7, he would miss Konoha. Why, when both of them didn't regard him very highly, especially after last week? Naruto did not know, and he didn't want to know. The sooner he left, the better. He need time to think. The inner demon he had awoken demanded more from Naruto, more enemies defeated. It rejoiced in the sight of blood. Naruto knew it was useful, but he had to make sure he controlled it and not the other way round, or he would be no better than Orochimaru or any other criminal shinobi.

XXX

Naruto and Jiraiya walked away from Konoha. No word passed between them. Naruto had arrived exactly at noon, and Jiraiya had simply nodded before they proceeded to walk. Now, an hour later, still no word had passed between them. Naruto was content to let the silence stay. It made this entire mission easier. No matter what he had said, it still hurt to have no one to rely on. Even his friends had other things to devote themselves to. Finally having Ero-sennin devote all his time and effort into Naruto, even after thirteen years of abandonment, was a bit emotional for him.

_This is it_, Naruto thought, feeling a strange sensation in his body. _This is the beginning of my path. I can feel it. Soon, Akatsuki, soon…_

"Here," Jiraiya said, handing him a very thick scroll. Naruto took it and read the title on the seal. He looked back up at Jiraiya.

"This is as good a spot to being as anywhere," Jiraiya said, meaning both their surroundings and Naruto's training. "From what I've gathered, your taijutsu is impressive, as good as that Lee guy, who's Gai's protégé, so I know you are not lacking in that department. Your ninjutsu is good as well, as you have even managed to learn how to fit in new ninjutsu into your arsenal and battle tactics. It's your genjutsu that's lacking. You have the chakra, and you have the mental capacity, and even the chakra control, but for some reason you cannot do genjutsu. A good ninja is rounded in all aspects. You need to improve your genjutsu capabilities before we go any farther in your training." Naruto resisted a groan. Genjutsu had never been his strong suit. No one knew this, but he still couldn't perform the **Bunshin no jutsu**, a basic Academy jutsu. "In the meanwhile, we shall also put your tracking capabilities to the test. You are going to be taking charge of this mission, Naruto. You have read all the information Konoha has on Tsunade, all her mission reports and everything about her personally. You are going to act like a Jonin, who would normally be trusted with such a mission, or even ANBU. Tsunade has been to some dangerous places in her past, so your stealth and information gathering capabilities shall be put to the test as well." This time Naruto really did groan. Was it really possible to torture mind, body, and spirit all at the same time? If it was, this was it. Jiraiya had been right. At this rate, Naruto would be up night and day, for only the gods know how long. Jiraiya suddenly grinned, back to his usual mood. "Don't worry, you'll have my skills at your disposal … some of the time." Jiraiya gave a little laugh, his cheeks turning red.

"In the meantime, I think I'm going to head over to that nearby village and help you out by gathering some information for you." Before Naruto could even protest, Jiraiya disappeared in a burst of smoke. Naruto gritted his teeth. Jiraiya would pay for this.


	21. Volume 1: The Secret Of The Scroll

Sasuke slumped against the tree. He was completely spent. He heaved in great breaths, trying to get as much oxygen into his body as possible. Having lactic acid build up in his cells would not be favourable for several reasons. One; lactic acid caused spasm in the muscles, which in turn caused cramps, and which in turn would hinder Sasuke's movement and make him a sitting duck. Two; chakra was drawn from the energy present in all cells, and that energy was made by aerobic respiration, and so the presence of lactic acid in cells would limit the amount of chakra Sasuke could covert from stamina, and so the quicker he faster he got oxygen back into his body, the better he would be able to fight. Three; he had just taken a food pill, and so the more oxygen his got into his body, the more energy he would be able to produce, and the faster he would be able to do so.

"We've been training since morning Sasuke-kun," a tired voice said from behind Sasuke. "I think it's alright if we take a short break, maybe for half an hour."

"I don't," Sasuke said gruffly.

"…Oh," Sakura said. Sasuke stood still, a flicker of surprise on his face. He had gotten used to hearing a girl's sigh of disappointment, but this time Sakura's sigh was more heartfelt, more what you would expect from a concerned friend. He turned round and looked at her, his face impassive as always. Sakura was sat on the ground, her face and clothes covered with sweat and grime. Her face was downcast, but Sakura could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Sasuke resisted a groan.

"What is it now?" he asked, his arms crossed. Normally he could not be bothered with Sakura's mood swings … but now, something about this situation appealed to his heart. Sakura did not look at him, instead choosing to remain in her position.

"Why?" Sakura finally said. "Why must you drive yourself like this? I thought that when we were made into a genin team, I could finally get closer to you, but we've only grown apart. You don't spend any of your spare time with your teammates or your fellow genin. You choose to spend every waking moment you have training, forgetting that you have friends you can rely on. You are already the most powerful genin of our graduating class. You were rookie of the year. You are nearly a chunin, even though you're a rookie having taken the exam only once. And yet you don't seem happy with your lot. You keep on striving for more. Why?" Sasuke looked hard at Sakura, but after a few seconds he sighed. He went and sat down across her in the _fudoza_ position, his elbows on his knees and his face resting in the palms of his hands.

"Do you realize, Sakura, that you have just described Naruto?" Sasuke said, for once his voice not carrying the superior undertone it always carried. Sakura looked up in surprise, both at Sasuke's tone and at his words. She looked into Sasuke's eyes, but Sasuke's eyes were glazed over with a faraway look.

"Naruto…?" she whispered in shock. Was it true? Had she just described the dead last, the idiot, the number one most unpredictable and loudest ninja? Sure Naruto was strong, stronger than her, she knew, but he wasn't the rookie of the year, he wasn't the most powerful genin of the graduating class, and he most certainly wasn't a chunin. Sure he was pretty anti-social at times, and he was obsessed with training to no end.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered again, this time her voice layered with anger. Why was everything about Naruto? Why did Sasuke-kun's time always seem to revolve around that idiot?

"I know you probably think that's not true, but the truth of the matter is that Naruto is the only genin I consider my equal. He has strived every waking moment of his life to reach where he is. As a student at the Academy his knowledge was neglected, which is why I think he was dead last. He did not even learn how to mold his chakra until a year after we all did." Sasuke sat up straight, his hands resting on his knees. His eyes still had the same faraway look.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered softly. "He has made some acquaintances, maybe even friends, but none truly understand him, his situation … except me. Naruto is the only person I consider a close friend, my best friend, despite all appearances. You are my teammate, Sakura, a friend, but you and I do not share the bond that I do with Naruto. Naruto has put every ounce of his being into training so that he could become the ninja he is today. He has overcome vast barriers that would have broken older and wiser ninja. He has become strong, stronger even than that Hiarashi girl, the Fourth's so-called Legacy. For that, for surviving such a lonely and hard childhood, like me, for being so strong in the face of adversity, Naruto has earned my respect. Naruto is not a genius as Neji-san and I are regarded, but as Gai-sensei has so eloquently put it, he is a genius of hard work. He must always dedicate most of his time to training so that he keeps up with us true geniuses because things do not come easily to him as they do to us, and he does so, with no complaints. I know that, even at this hour of the night, after a hard day's travelling and completing some tasks, Naruto is dedicating his waking moments to training. He is constantly trying to improve himself, a lesson he taught Hinata-san very well." Sasuke took a deep breath and stood up, stretching his legs and arms as he did so. He looked up into the night sky, up at the large, shining moon.

"That is why I dedicate my time to training, Sakura. I must be better than Naruto. He is the dead last, and I am the genius and the rookie of the year. I am an Uchiha, inheritor of the Sharingan. I have a reputation to keep. If I, with all my so called accomplishments and potential, cannot defeat the dead last, then what chance do I have of gaining enough power and defeating my accursed brother, the so-called greatest ninja to come out of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Itachi? I need to avenge my clan, Sakura, and Naruto is the barrier I must surpass once and for all if I am to do that." Sasuke looked back down at Sakura, and the kunoichi could have sworn there was a hint of a smile on those lips.

"Why don't you go home and rest, Sakura? I'll meet you tomorrow morning. Maybe we can catch some breakfast before we meet with Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura could not believe this turn of events. She suddenly smiled, her tears dispelled. She stood and nodded.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. Goodnight!" With a little wave, she turned and ran for home, her spirits high. She might not have achieved the status she desired with Sasuke, but at least they had gotten close. She was now Sasuke's confidant, and that was as close as anyone could get to Sasuke … for the moment.

Sasuke watched Sakura go with mixed emotions. He did not know what had prompted him spilling so much about himself, especially to an uncommitted ninja like Sakura who did not concentrate 100 on her training. After a second he shook it off. His eyes slowly homed in on another figure instead. The figure was inscrutable in the shadow, but Sasuke knew who it was. He looked into those bright blue eyes with contempt, and after a second dismissed the figure. He had better things to do. As he turned round, he could feel the presence of the figure moving, and then it receded until it faded from his senses. He looked up, straight at the pervert of a jonin who was supposed to be training him. Kakashi had not moved in the time Sasuke had taken a rest from training and had been talking to Sakura. He was still standing in the same spot, reading the same book, and to Sasuke's keen eyesight, still reading the same page. Sasuke resisted another groan. Was this the person who was the hailed as the Great Copy Ninja? Was this the person who wielded the Sharingan with such skill despite not being an Uchiha? Was this the only person in the history of the prestigious Uchiha Clan that had been initiated as an honorary Uchiha for gaining the trust of the Uchiha Clan Head? Was this person, so full of faults, the one destined to give Sasuke the power he desired to fulfill his ambition of killing Itachi, because he was the only person left who could teach Sasuke all about the ancient secrets of the Uchiha Clan?

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke shouted. "Put that book of yours away. We have training to do." Kakashi tried to pretend he had not heard, but after a minute of glaring, he finally sighed and looked at Sasuke with a bored expression.

"Maybe you should take your own advice; go home and rest. We can train tomorrow." Sasuke scowled.

"I told Sakura all that stuff so she wouldn't be a burden and keep bothering me when I'm trying to train."

"So you didn't mean any of it?" Kakashi asked in the same bored way. _You won't admit it, but your team is starting to grow on you … just as my own team grew on me._ Sasuke chose not to answer.

"Let's just get on with training. I'm not going to fall behind the dead last ever again."

_Again? I wonder what happened …?_

"Well," Kakashi said, "I'm not even back to a quarter of my full strength yet. I still haven't healed from … from my mission. So the only thing I can actively assist you with is your Sharingan." Kakashi put away his book and removed his hitai-ate, revealing his own Sharingan. "For you to gain more power over it, for you to master it, you need to break it down systematically and learn about all the combinations that make it what it is. If you can master what I am about to teach you, then learning all the other Uchiha lore will be much easier, and your ninjutsu as a whole will improve and increase dramatically. By the time your Sharingan matures fully, you will be a whole new ninja. It took me years to get to the level of understanding I am of the Sharingan, and yet I don't know all of its secrets. Only an Uchiha can surpass my level, so I expect you to be able to master what I'm teaching you by the time Naruto gets back. Understood?"

Sasuke's expression was one of grim determination. This was why Hatake Kakashi was such a great ninja. He would teach Sasuke Uchiha lore. Sasuke would learn and flourish, he promised himself that much. Itachi's time was drawing near.

"_Hai!_" Sasuke said.

XXX

Naruto slumped against the door. He was breathing heavily, his breaths coming in short irregular gasps. His entire body was bruised and wounded, blood still seeping from some of the larger wounds. His legs suddenly gave out, and he dropped to the ground. He gasped as his whole body spasmed, but he immediately stifled his cry. Silence was imperative. He sat there by the door for minutes, gathering enough energy to stand again. He finally managed to do so and opened the door silently. He went into the dark room, choosing his footing carefully, making sure not to put too much pressure on his sprained left ankle. He held the giant scroll to his chest tightly, making his way toward the window … and the person slept on the mat under it.

"So, you're back," a voice said, penetrating the quiet. Naruto stiffened for a moment, and then smiled as he stood up straight. As he looked around the room – and with the amount of blood he had lost and the injuries he had accrued, his vision had become a bit blurry – it took him half a minute before he spotted all the discrepancies. He put the giant scroll down and formed the ram seal.

"**Kai**," he said, and the room blurred for a second as the genjutsu was lifted. The sleeping figure on the mat disappeared, and the darkness of the apartment was replaced by the brightness of a 100 watt bulb. Standing behind him, beside the closed door, leaning against the wall, was Jiraiya. His arms were folded and his face was impassive. Jiraiya pushed himself off the wall and came to Naruto. Naruto found his heart beating frantically as the Toad Hermit got closer, even though his outward demeanor did not convey this. Jiraiya stood right in front of Naruto, his six feet two inches showing, looking down at a short Naruto with inscrutable eyes. After a second, right when Naruto thought Jiraiya would hit him, Jiraiya sighed and knelt. He took the giant scroll, the scroll he always carried on his back, from the floor. He took it to his mat and placed it beside his pack.

"Well, it seems you have greatly improved at detecting and countering genjutsu," Jiraiya said conversationally. "Faster than I thought you would have been able too." Naruto did not speak, looking at Jiraiya with a wary gaze. If he had learnt one thing about Ero-Sennin in their one month together was that the man had an explosive temper when pushed too far. Naruto had just stolen Jiraiya's scroll, something that would be very valuable to any ninja. If somehow Naruto had lost that scroll or it had been stolen, then not only would Naruto be in deep trouble, but whoever got that scroll would have the potential to become a great shinobi, for, as Jiraiya himself said, the scroll was a source of great power. Naruto remembered back to the day, a few weeks ago, when he was recuperating his chakra reserves after a long day of practicing his genjutsu.

XXX

"_Hey, Ero-Sennin, just what are you going to teach me once I get over my 'genjutsu block'?" Jiraiya stretched, yawning expansively. One of the leads Naruto had followed had not panned out, and as a result they were regrouping, thinking of the next plan of action._

"_You see this scroll, Naruto?" Jiraiya said, taking off the scroll he always carried on his back. Naruto nodded. He had always been curious about what kind of scroll a Sannin would carry with him everywhere._

"_Well," Jiraiya said, opening the scroll slightly, "this scroll was a gift from Gamabunta when I got the Toad Contract. It listed all the __**Gama Ninjutsu**__ there is, all the ninjutsu a ninja with a contract with the toads can perform. But I improved it a little with a few special Seals. It now contains every jutsu I know, every bit of shinobi knowledge I possess. It would take a genius years to master this scroll, and a numbskull like you decades, but it's my hope that I can teach you a few useful things from this scroll on this mission. Maybe afterwards I can teach you some more, but don't expect to learn everything!"_

_Naruto looked at the scroll, his eyes contemplative. He then stood up and went back to practicing his genjutsu._

"_Naruto," Jiraiya said, and Naruto recognised the serious tone Jiraiya always used in grave circumstances. "This scroll is very valuable, not only to me, but to the Toads. With this scroll and the right knowledge, a ninja could wreck havoc to the Toad Family. That is why it falls to any ninja with a contract with the Toad Family to protect this scroll … with their lives, if necessary. It is one of the duties underlined in the contract. It has special Seals that will prevent most from being able to open it, let alone read and learn from it, so we only have to worry about the most dangerous ninja being able to learn its secrets. However, you, Naruto, are not ready for most of the knowledge in here. Do not take this scroll." Naruto gave no reply, and Jiraiya didn't seem to be expecting one. He went back into a light nap, occasionally blushing and giggling._

XXX

"Oof!" Naruto uttered as all the air left his lungs and he flew across the room and hit the wall with a loud thud, making a few cracks. Jiraiya's punch had been hard, and yet the man seemed to only have made a small swing. Jiraiya straightened and went over to Naruto. He lifted the boy by the hood of Naruto's cloak and carried him over to the bed. He laid Naruto in the supine position. The boy was unconscious. Whatever techniques he had been using or learning had left him in a bad way. The punch had been the final straw. Jiraiya sighed again and went for Naruto's vest. He opened a pouch took out one of Naruto's healing scrolls. He gasped. A healing scroll was rare enough, seeing as it had to contain a large amount of chakra, intent, and experience for it to function properly, but this was no ordinary healing scroll. This was one of Tsunade's. That explained a lot, beginning with how the boy had been able to hide any evidence of ninjutsu related injuries. Jiraiya had only discovered that Naruto had been secreting away his scroll a few days ago, but this could have been going on for as long as three weeks. What had Naruto managed to learn in that time?

Jiraiya opened the healing scroll, smeared his blood on it, and then held it open. He channeled a little chakra to activate it, and then he watched as it went to work, healing Naruto's wounds. Jiraiya started to worry as the healing process went on for twenty minutes. Just what had Naruto bee doing for him to be so damaged? As far as he could see, there was nothing wrong with the boy, so that must mean most of the damage was internal. After half an hour the scroll flopped out as it was used up. A black smudge appeared on the page, declaring it could never be used again. Jiraiya threw it into the bin. Naruto woke a few seconds later. He seemed to be in some discomfort, but that seemed to be all.

"Welcome back," Jiraiya said smiling. Naruto tried to smile as well, but his facial muscles were not fully functional for that gesture. "Now you see why I told you not to mess with the scroll. Look at you!" This time Naruto did manage to smile.

"Don't think you're off the hook," Jiraiya warned, and Naruto's smile instantly disappeared. Jiraiya adopted a thoughtful expression.

"This mission is not going well. It would not, even if ANBU were searching. So why don't we take it easy for a bit. We'll take this time to train. You have finally managed to get your head around genjutsu, and your chakra control and gathering is a lot better, so how about we start ninjutsu training tomorrow?" Naruto could only smile as his body was wrecked with spasms. No, he definitely should not have tried that jutsu. Jiraiya raised his eyebrows. He could now guess the jutsu Naruto had been trying to learn. The jutsu Hiarashi had nearly killed him with.

"Well," Jiraiya said, "I guess its goodnight. You don't look like you'll be conscious for much longer anyway.

"Ero-Sennin," Naruto rasped, stopping Jiraiya. Jiraiya looked back at Naruto.

"I found her," Naruto said. Jiraiya's look of disbelief made Naruto go on. "Or at least, I found out the area she's in. There's a big casino that's been built in a city by the south-west coast. Some people I asked said 'the blonde lady with the huge knockers' was given an honorary pass. She'll definitely be there … in one month, when it opens." Jiraiya slowly smiled.

"Good job, kiddo," he said, ruffling Naruto's hair. "At least now we know where we are going. We can pace ourselves." Jiraiya's face suddenly hardened. "You need to start taking care of yourself, Naruto, and you need to learn responsibility. I am going to teach you a few high level jutsu that should keep you safe from most ninja, even from Akatsuki members. And you only have one month to learn them _all_, on top of your normal training. This will be your punishment for disobeying my command. Understood?" Naruto felt a chill go through him. He was a genius of hard work, but even this was going to be torture. It took him the best part of two months to learn the **Chisemi**, but from what he'd glimpsed in the scroll and from what he knew and could guess; the next month required him to learn several high rank jutsu that equaled **Chisemi**. He had to do several times over of the work in half the time … this was going to be so troublesome. He gulped at the glint in Jiraiya's eye. Definitely troublesome.

Jiraiya smiled. "Now go to sleep kid. We have a long way ahead of us, and believe me; you need all the rest you can get."

XXX

"Get out of my way."

Silence. Absolute silence. No one dared move. This was a fight no one wanted to get involved in. Sakura, along with all the members of the rookie nine, plus Neji, Lee, and Tenten, watched this small encounter. They were all headed toward the training area in the forest, right next to the Forest of Death. The reason? The Advisors had told them all that there was a mission they all had to undertake. It was a B-rank mission, and since there were no other available ninja, all the rookies had to be dispatched if the mission had any chance of being taken and completed. Konoha could not afford, for a moment, to refuse any mission, not only for the money, but for fear of customers going to other shinobi villages.

Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, his chunin vest fluttering slightly in the breeze. His expression was one set in stone, the curled lip of disgust very apparent. Although his outward demeanor was one of calm, his Sharingan was activated and he seemed to be ready for a fight. Hiarashi frowned at the Uchiha. She had nothing against him. He was a genius, able to accomplish much and be a valuable asset to the village. So why did he seem to be so against her? Surely it didn't have anything to do with the Demon, did it? Her chunin guide, and so far her only friend, shifted slightly beside her.

"I don't get what your problem is," Hiarashi finally said.

"My problem," Sasuke said, "is that you are in my way." Hiarashi's frown deepened. She had been taken well into Konoha. She found she had also taken to Konoha very well. She felt safe here. She felt she belonged. She no longer had to feign interest in the numerous goings on at the Palace of her grandfather. Here she was a shinobi. She was respected for her skills, not shunned by some snot nosed brats because they didn't think it was any way for a princess to behave, let alone live. She had undertaken a few missions now, one D-rank and two C-rank, and the thrill she got every time she went out on them was indescribable. This was what she was born to be, born into. But it seemed the Uchiha did not approve of her at all. He was the only person in the village who seemed not to, for some reason. What was it? She had done nothing to him, nothing against him or anyone close to him.

"You know what I mean, Uchiha Sasuke. You are the only one who seems not to approve of me. I have been putting off asking you, but it now seems as good a time as any. What do you have against me?" Sasuke's sneer became even more pronounced. Instead of answering he dismissed her with a toss of his head and started to walk around her. The chunin that had been assigned to her suddenly became angry. Hiarashi-san was a very skilled and respectable kunoichi. The least the Uchiha could do was acknowledge and treat Hiarashi-san with respect. In a fit of anger he threw a punch at Sasuke. It never landed. Sasuke's head whipped back to the pair faster than anyone would have thought possible. He looked into the eyes of the chunin. The fist only managed to tap Sasuke's face slightly before the chunin dropped face down onto the hard ground, fast asleep. Sasuke smirked. It may have taken two months of intense training, from his ninjutsu and genjutsu to his taijutsu, but now Sasuke had finally learned all Kakashi knew of the Sharingan. His might not be fully matured, but when that time came, his Sharingan would rival even those who had been counted the strongest of the Uchiha Clan. Kakashi-sensei was a genius. He had taken his Sharingan to the brink, doing all he could with it, even going as far as to improve on some bits he had learned from the Uchiha Clan. Unfortunately, since his body was not an Uchiha one, there was only so much he could do. So that meant there was still more Sasuke could learn, and when he finally did … Uchiha Itachi was dead.

Whoosh! Sasuke leaned back, avoiding the punch by mere millimeters. His now very fast eyes flickered here and there as the assessed everything in an instant. He jumped back, his hands still in his pockets. Hiarashi's face was flushed and she was breathing heavily.

"Using your Sharingan against a fellow Leaf ninja … despicable."

"You seem to have conveniently forgotten he was the one who attacked me," Sasuke said, still calm.

"What is your problem!?" Hiarashi exploded. "I have done nothing to you, nothing at all."

"But you have attacked and threatened my teammate," Sasuke said, his face now absolutely impassive, his eyes cold. "For no good reason, just like your chunin friend here attacked me." For a moment absolute silence reigned again. The Hiarashi wild blonde hair started rising in an unseen wind as she gathered a large amount of chakra.

"How dare you?" she shouted. "You have no idea the atrocities that little demon is responsible for. Don't you even stand there for a moment and judge me!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I find that hard to believe that Naruto could be responsible for anything that deserves for him to be called a demon. Little, maybe, but not demon. He's the dead last, always has been. He doesn't have the brain capacity. It's you who needs to branded demon. I don't know what pathetic reason you have to explain why you would blame him for your father's death, and I don't think I want to know. But look around you. Each and every one of us is a part of Naruto's life, and he's a part of us. He is an innocent idiot, and the sooner you realize that, the better, because you are no match for him, despite the fact that he's an idiot. He is very forgiving, a very un-shinobi-like quality, but even he had his limits. You are going to push his buttons the wrong way one day, and believe me, you'll regret it."

With that little speech done, Sasuke turned his head away, deactivated his Sharingan, and walked away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed after him. "Where are you going? We need to go practice our teamwork, remember?" Sasuke did not answer. After a few more seconds, when he was a hundred metres away, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Hm," Hiarashi grunted. Foolish boy. He did not know what atrocities that demon was capable of. The boy they called Naruto needed to be killed, and soon, before he got any more powerful and garnered more friends to help and protect him. If that boy got any higher stature in Konoha, then the day he finally showed his true colour, Konohagakure would be lost. It was up to her, just like her father, to save Konoha from Kyuubi no Yoko.

XXX

Sasuke walked along the white corridor, the hushes voices guiding him to the room he wanted. Kakashi had collapsed during their last training session when Sasuke had pitted his Sharingan against that of his sensei. The effort seemed a bit too much for the Jonin for some reason. Ever since that so called mission, Kakashi had been as frail as a child. Sasuke wondered what had really happened to put Kakashi in such a seemingly irreparable condition.

"It seems, even after all this time, Kakashi still hasn't recovered." Sasuke stopped as he heard Kurenai-sensei talking. "What kind of jutsu could do this? It was a genjutsu that much I'm sure of. But it was delivered using a _doujutsu_, which greatly amplifies its power and effect. But to be able to injure someone's psyche this much? … I'm frightened." Sasuke was halted in his tracks. A doujutsu genjutsu had done this to Kakashi?

"You should be," Asuma said. "We're talking about someone who has risen to the level of the Sannin here, maybe even beyond. The greatest from his clan."

"Why don't you come in, Sasuke?" Gai said. "You can't see Kakashi from out there." Sasuke frowned. There was something going on here. He went in, and to his surprise, he found three other jonin in the room, all looking at him with varying degrees of worry. He ignored them and put the vase of flowers he had brought by Kakashi's bedside.

"So you're the one who was with Kakashi when he collapsed," one of them said. "What were you doing that could do this much damage?" Sasuke did not answer for a moment. A doujutsu technique had done this. Was it possible, by using his own doujutsu to fight, Kakashi had awoken those old wounds? Something did not feel right.

"He was helping me train my Sharingan," Sasuke said finally, and he did not have to turn to know the Jonin were giving each other looks. No, something definitely did not feel right.

"What happened exactly?" Kurenai asked casually. Sasuke shrugged.

"I was trying to overcome his Sharingan, trying to cast a genjutsu on him. We were at if for a few minutes before he just fell unconscious." This time there was no time for significant glance to pass between the Jonin as another Jonin came running into the hospital room.

"Is it true, Gai-san? Did Uchiha Itachi really come back to the village in search of Uzumaki Naruto? Did he really injure Kakashi-sensei like this? Will Kakashi-sensei be alright?" The room was deadly quiet. For a second the confused Jonin looked from Gai to Kurenai and Asuma, until his eyes finally rested on Sasuke. His mouth hung open. Sasuke stood there, absorbing it all in.

_Uchiha … Itachi …_

Without another thought, Sasuke turned and ran out of the ward, his Sharingan blazing. It was time. Kakashi had been training his Sharingan for this moment. Naruto was in danger, and only the wielder of the Sharingan stood a chance against Uchiha Itachi. He had to rescue Naruto … and kill Uchiha Itachi.

XXX

"Ugh," Naruto grunted as he slumped onto the bed. Ero-Sennin was a slave driver. Some part of him wondered how come Hiarashi was still only at the level she was when Ero-Sennin had been training with her from the moment she was a child. But that part was quickly quelled. Naruto did not dwell on the Fourth's daughter, the Fourth's Legacy, if he could help it. Naruto forced himself to get up and shower. He took off his clothes, finally discarding Gama-chan, his toad wallet, the one he had possessed ever since he could remember. His eyes narrowed as he hefted it. It was lighter than he remembered. He opened it and quickly counted the money. Curse that Perverted Hermit! All the money Naruto had won last week at that betting place was gone. Vowing to make Ero-Sennin pay, Naruto went into the shower. He stayed under the hot tap for over an hour, the time passing by unnoticed. His thoughts went back to the last two months. After all this time, all this travelling, all this training, they had finally caught up with Tsunade. She was in the next village, and tomorrow they would go find her. Naruto sighed and turned off the Fawcett. He out a towel around his waist and went back into the apartment. He flopped onto the bed and slept soundly until the next morning.

When he woke up, he was well rested. He felt better than he had since leaving Konoha. For one thing, he had gotten a healthy sixteen hours of sleep. He put on his clothes, thankful that he had remembered at the last minute to put them in the wash. Not he put on his trousers, shirt, vest, sandals, bandages, cloak, and finally, his headband. He went and sat by the bed, waiting for Ero-Sennin to arrive from his scouting mission. They had to make sure where Tsunade was exactly before making a plan and moving in. This was one of the Sannin they were dealing with, after all. Naruto sighed. He was not built for waiting. Patience came to him very hard. To occupy himself, he took out a fairly large scroll from one of the bigger pouches on his vest. He hefted it, testing out its weight. He then activated it, summoning a jian broadsword, the sword he had been given by Sakumo-sensei. One of the Hozuki Brothers had damaged it, cutting it clean in half during their fight in the Land of Waves. It had taken many months and a sizeable chunk of Naruto's purse to find a smith talented enough and willing to restore it. Now it was back in battle condition and even better than before because Naruto had possessed the foresight to take the swords of the defeated brothers. He had sealed them in separate scrolls and presented them to the smith. Now the sword he held was the final product of all three swords being melted and forged into one blade. The sword was a little heavy, but he had trained with it for a month before leaving Konoha, and during this two month journey he had trained with it also. Now the weight no longer bothered him, although he found he got fatigued a little faster than he usually did. He remembered the words of the nin-smith well.

XXX

"_You are very lucky you defeated the original owners of these two swords."_

"_Huh? Why do you say that?"_

"_Because these swords belong to members of the Seven Swordsmen. They might have been junior members, not actually counted as one of the Seven, but they had advanced enough to earn swords of their own. Kirigakure is the only Hidden Villages that specializes in Kenjutsu. Every ninja there has some proficiency with the blade. To imagine, I am now holding – and planning to destroy – swords made by the most skilled sword smiths in the world."_

"_You still haven't answered my question."_

"_Sorry, I got carried away. Swords have always been something of a passion of mine. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the swords of the Seven Swordsmen are all sentient, at one level or another. One thing they all share is that they can recognise their true master and an enemy. If an enemy stole and tried to use any of these two swords, probably nothing would happen, but the sword would not work as well for him in battle as it would for the true master. The sword would appear to jerk in the wielder's hands, or maybe even rebound some of the chakra the wielder would be using in a jutsu back at him. Sword-lore is very deep, especially in Kirigakure. Only by defeating the true master will an enemy be able to use anyone of the Swordsmen's blades. If I gathered correctly, you are the one who delivered the initial and final blows, so the swords recognise you as their master … I am not so sure, however, that they will allow me to melt them."_

"…_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, they are sentient to some level. Would you allow me to take out a kunai and stab you with it, without even fighting back?"_

"_I see your point."_

"_Yes, well, there is a way around that. Simply put, you will have to assist me with the process. You will be the one who has to actually melt, beat, and fold the blade. But after that it should be safe for me to finish up the process."_

XXX

Naruto held the sword by the hilt and looked down the length of the blade, a blade that was nine tenths his own height. He could not help but notice, that in the last four months, he had adopted a Kirigakure shinobi's fascination with Kenjutsu, and any ninjutsu or taijutsu that would aid his swordsmanship skills. Was this the sentient effect of the blade melding with his mind, at some unconscious level? He was not sure, but he did not mind. He liked Kenjutsu, as much as he liked all his other skills, perhaps even more. He put the sword beside him on the bed. He took two more scrolls from his vest. He activated the first one, summoning a thin band made of shining blue scales. He played with the band for a bit in his fingers. Unconsciously, he sharpened his eyesight the way summoning Kyuubi's chakra usually did. Back before the Chunin Exams, Hinata had helped him perfect the technique. Since she herself had a _doujutsu_, and she could see chakra, she knew just what to do. Now Naruto could sharpen his eyesight ten times over with no effort whatsoever, thanks to his very large chakra supply. Of course, a by-product of this little jutsu was that his pupils assumed an animalistic vertical shape, just like they always did when he summoned Kyuubi's chakra. Of course, an advantage was that his eyes did not turn red, so an enemy wouldn't be alerted unless he or she looked very closely at Naruto's eyes.

As Naruto looked at the band, his eyes noticed that there was minute writing on each of the scales. As he gazed at the writing, he could not help but get the impression that, despite the writing not joining from one scale to another, it nevertheless flowed throughout the entire band. That writing was the special type used to write seals, that much he knew. He would have to learn it proficiently sometime. He placed band next to the sword. He opened the final scroll, which was a metre in length. There was seal writing on it, joining and surrounding three separate circles made of more seal writing. He placed the band in one circle, and the sword in another, making sure that the ricasso, the crossguard, and the hilt were within the circle. He brought his palms together, eyes closed, gathering chakra into his hands. He then opened his eyes placed his hands in the middle circle. The chakra flowed from his hands onto the band to the left and the sword to the right. The seal writing turned bright blue, then red as started flowing on the page, going onto the band and the sword. There was a flash of light as the sword and band started moving toward each other and joined. When the light faded, Naruto drew his hands away. His eyes widened slightly. The band and sword had vanished. His hands flew to the blank scroll, and in the moment, something started shimmering like water on the scrolls page. After a second it resolved itself into the shape of the sword. Naruto gasped. The silver blade was not visible, instead covered by blue scales, from ricasso to tip. Naruto's hands went to the hilt, and in that moment, the scaled started sliding up the sword, uncovering its silver blade, until only the thin blue scale band remained on the ricasso. Naruto blinked. So this was what he had been told about. He imagined the blade as he had seen it, with the scales covering the blade like a sheath, and instantly the band expanded down the length of the blade covering it. With a small smile, he imagined it as he had first seen it, invisible, and to his surprise and joy, the sword started shimmering until the powerful genjutsu took effect, making the sword invisible. Naruto could have leapt with joy. He could feel the hilt of the sword in his hand, but his other senses were telling him there was nothing there.

He went to the final stage of the process. Still invisible, he placed the sword behind him, on his back, and instantly felt _something_ attaching to his back through the fabric of his cloak, vest, and shirt. He stood up and ran for the full length mirror in the bathroom. There was nothing on his back. He though about the visible sword, and it appeared, on his back, the tip just a few centimeters above his ankles. He put his hand behind his back and pulled the sword free from the bond created by the band, and as he did so, he imagined the scales receding, and they did. He smiled. What a birthday present to get.

_Hm … so it's a matter of willpower. I guess Ero-Sennin isn't totally useless._

Happier than he had been in the last two months, Naruto put the sword back onto his back and willed the scales to grow again, and for the sword to go invisible again. He heard a knock at the door and practically bounded to it. Ero-Sennin was back. As his hands went for the door knob, however, his ninja senses and sense of reality came back. Ero-Sennin would not knock, he would simply barge in. And since this was an apartment block and not a hotel of some kind, there were no expected visitor. Both Naruto and Ero-Sennin had made sure not to be spotted coming in or going out, so no one knew they were hear. So who could be at the door? Cautious, Naruto performed a few safe guards. He was now thankful he had possessed the foresight to block the peephole in the door. Even though he could not see who was out there, he could at least ensure they couldn't see him inside the apartment. He took a few deep breaths to steady his beating heart. Calmly, he stood back and opened the door, ready for whatever was behind there.


	22. Volume 1: Growth Of The Rivals

Naruto opened the door. He casually returned his arm to his side. His face, always calm, betrayed nothing. His eyes, still in their heightened form, scanned what they saw with the unerring accuracy born of a small, wary animal surviving in a harsh and dangerous environment. They did not like what they saw. Naruto looked into the red eyes of the Sharingan, and his heart unconsciously gave a twitch. He had never seen such an expression in those eyes.

"This is an unexpected visit," Naruto said softly.

"We've got to get out of here, Naruto!" Sasuke said. His face was slightly flushed, and judging from the way he was slightly gasping for breath, the flush was from a long and fast paced run.

"Yo, Naruto." Naruto looked down and saw a **Ninken**, a ninja dog. After a second he recognised Pakkun's dour face.

"Hello, Pakkun," Naruto said.

"This is no time to be socializing. Get your things and let's head back to Konoha right now," Sasuke said in an exasperated tone.

"He's right," Pakkun said. "And I would be nothing but a hindrance here, so since my job is done, I'll be leaving." Pakkun raised a paw in farewell before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto looked back up at Sasuke, once again noticing that foreign expression in those Sharingan eyes.

"Explain to me what's going on," Naruto said as he walked back into the apartment. He began busying himself, making sure all signs of his and Jiraiya's residence were obliterated. It did not take more than half a minute, seeing as Naruto and the Perverted Hermit barely spent any time in this room. Naruto had either busied himself training or going on an errand for Ero-Sennin, and Jiraiya himself … well, he spent his time conducting _very important research_. No doubt, seeing as this town was filled with young, beautiful, and sexy women with a lot of disposable income to spend at the newly opened casino, among other pleasures.

Sasuke did not have time to go into a long winded explanation. "Uchiha Itachi," Sasuke said darkly. "He's coming after you. I found out he's already been to Konoha. He is on his way here…" Sasuke stopped talking. Naruto was standing still, very still. His normally calm face was white with shock.

"… How did he find us?" Naruto whispered unconsciously. Jiraiya was not one of the Sannin for nothing. Naruto was sure their trail was all but untraceable. So how had Uchiha Itachi found them so fast? Naruto suddenly rounded on Sasuke.

"How do you know this?" he asked. Sasuke suddenly got more irritated. He had come all this way to save his stupid teammate from a fate far worse than death, only to have the idiot waste time on stupid questions. He shrugged, his impatience showing. They needed to leave, now!

"I overheard two ANBU talking about Itachi's appearance in Konoha. He's the one who injured Kakashi-sensei. He found out where you are. He's on his way. We need to leave!" Naruto nodded. He took a scroll from underneath the mattress and placed it in a hidden pouch in the left sleeve of his black cloak. He followed Sasuke out, making sure to lock the door. This would tell Jiraiya that their location had been compromised. He made a mental note to summon a toad, Gama, and impart the news of what was happening. It was the emergency protocol Jiraiya had suggested in case the two got separated. After twenty-four hours, Jiraiya would summon Gama, and providing Naruto was able to impart news to the toad in the time frame, Gama would then alert Jiraiya to what was going on. The plan had many holes in it, but it was the safest communication they could use, seeing as only Naruto and Jiraiya were the only ones who knew of it and were the only ones who could summon toads, apart from Hiarashi, of course.

Sasuke started running down the corridor, Naruto a few steps behind. The boys, unconsciously, had already thought of the same plan of action and were acting as a true team, acting without any verbal communication. Sasuke, possessing the Sharingan, was the best candidate to place forward, seeing as he could see through most genjutsu and could easily spot a hidden enemy. Naruto, possessing a better sense of smell, was able to concentrate on their immediate surroundings and sense anything Sasuke couldn't see or had otherwise missed.

Sasuke saw it an instant before Naruto smelt it. Sasuke, acting on impulse, instantly gathered chakra into the soles of his feet and jumped forward. Naruto, knowing he could not follow Sasuke because he would be injured, gathered chakra into the soles of his feet and jumped back. Both boys landed in a small cloud of dust debris, skidding several feet on the concrete floor. A large, six feet long object, had made a small crater in the exact space the both boys had been occupying a second beforehand. It originated from within the right hand side wall. It was bandaged in white cloth.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, his body tense and ready. Naruto got the hidden message immediately. _Whoever this person was, a person who could fool Naruto's keen sense of smell, and Sasuke's Sharingan eyes, eyes that could go toe to toe with Kakashi's single eye, was a person to be regarded with caution, if not fear._ Naruto lowered his centre of gravity as he leaned forward, revealing his right leg. His hand went for the kunai pouch, but he did not draw one.

A chilling laughter filled the corridor. Slowly, almost as if floating, a seven foot tall … _man_, if he could be called that, emerged from the wall. He was dressed in a black cloak with red clouds on it, which covered his from ankles to nose. What was left visible of his face revealed blue skin and spiky hair, beady white eyes, and three gill-like features underneath his eyes. Naruto's eyes narrowed; _Akatsuki_. And yet, Naruto could immediately see that the man was not emerging from the wall since he had been hiding under a genjutsu, and genjutsu had no real effect on the physical world. Sasuke must have been thinking along the same lines because his eyes opened wider, revealing his Sharingan fully. A wave of chakra pulsed from Sasuke, and a moment later the genjutsu of the false wall was fully dispelled. Another person was revealed, wearing the same clothes as the tall Akatsuki man. Naruto's mouth thinned as he recognised who it was. If the black hair, stoic expression and aloof manner weren't enough, the red eyes with three tomoe each would have been a dead give away. Naruto looked into those eyes, showing nothing.

"Konoha shinobi are more skilled that you led me to believe, even if these are mere genin," the blue-skinned demon looking man said with a smile that was apparent even behind the large collar of his cloak. Naruto ignored the man, instead keeping his eyes fixated on those red eyes. Uchiha Itachi looked at Naruto with inscrutable eyes, completely calm.

"You are coming with us, Naruto-kun," Itachi said. That voice. _That voice!_ It held so much meaning to Sasuke. The moment he heard it, his Sharingan deactivated, and his mind was sent on a walk down memory lane. He remembered back six whole years, to that fateful night, as if it had only been yesterday. The physical world lost all meaning as he relieved the contents of that day in his mind. Naruto noticed Sasuke fazing out of, the boy's eyes glazing over. Not good.

"Sasuke!" he yelled, but it did no good. Sasuke was lost in his own mind. Naruto turned back to the two Akatsuki agents, and it took all his training not to show surprise or shock. The two Akatsuki, who had been standing in-between Sasuke and Naruto, ten metres away from either genin, were now standing a mere metre from Naruto.

_Shit_, Naruto thought. _Jiraiya was right; I don't stand a chance against Akatsuki at my current level._

"So this is the container of Kyuubi no Yoko," the blue skinned guy said. Naruto knew his name was Hoshigaki Kisame, a former member of Kirigakure no Sato and the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen. After Naruto learned of the threat of Akatsuki, he had insisted Jiraiya tell him everything he knew about the organization. So far, that was very little, but Naruto did know the identity of four members, two of whom were standing in front of him.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, Uchiha Itachi," Naruto said, his tone of voice level.

"Ah, so he knows who we are. A benefit of travelling with one of the Sannin, no doubt," Kisame said. His eyes bored into Naruto's with an animal like ferocity, a predatory look. Kisame's smile widened. "He looks like trouble. Maybe I should cut off his legs, in case he tried to run away." It was apparent Kisame, a shinobi who looked more menacing than any Naruto had ever seen, was asking for permission from Itachi, a much smaller and calmer shinobi. Itachi did not reply, instead looking into Naruto's eyes with an unblinking stare. Kisame's smile got positively bloodthirsty.

"Good," Kisame said, drawing his cloth covered sword. "After all, you got to play around with the other brat, Itachi-san." Naruto's mind raced in different directions as Kisame walked closer. What was Kisame talking about? Itachi had done nothing to Sasuke …. And then Naruto remembered. In the moment Itachi had appeared from the dispelled genjutsu, he had not been looking at Naruto, but at Sasuke. His Sharingan had been already activated. He had been looking, for a fraction of a second, into Sasuke's eyes.

_Of course, a genjutsu using the Sharingan's Hypnotic Eye, just like Kakashi-sensei did with Zabuza-san. Sasuke is not merely in shock; Itachi has brought about this catatonic state to remove any annoyances._ Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked into the eyes of Uzumaki Naruto.

… _The boy is a quick thinker, faster than I had been led to believe. He has seen through my jutsu._

_Shit_, Naruto thought for the second time. He thanked Jiraiya's training; in a fraction of a second he gathered a fair amount of the Kyuubi's chakra. As his hands came together, Kisame suddenly unsheathed and swung his gigantic sword in one smooth movement.

"Too slow," Kisame said. Naruto experienced a rather frightening event; all the demon chakra he had gathered suddenly deserted his body. His eyes widened as nothing happened when he finished the fifth seal. All the chakra he had gathered to summon a very large toad had been … taken. Naruto looked up in confusion at the smiling Kisame. The clothed sword was squishing and moving. To Naruto, it almost sounded like an animal feasting.

"My sword, Samehada, can absorb any chakra around it," Kisame said. "Your pitiful jutsu will be of no use."

_Shit_, Naruto cursed for the third time. He realized after seconds of futile effort that he could not summon the chakra of the Kyuubi. _I needed that chakra to summon a toad big enough to get us away from here in a hurry. Now I will have to rely on my own chakra, and since I don't have the necessary chakra experience, the best I will be able to do is summon the 'Snake Hunter', and he's a combat type only. And it will take a lot of chakra, and since I can't even guarantee my plan will work against these two, so I am doubly vulnerable, triple even, counting Sasuke … this doesn't look good._

Kisame smiled, revealing two full rows of triangular sharp teeth. He gripped his sword and took another step toward Naruto. He swung. Naruto could not explain it. The best way to put the feeling into words was that a sense of self-preservation had arisen. As Jiraiya would later explain, his sword, because it was sentient, sensed its master's predicament and came out to help. With Naruto dead, it would lose all purpose and wither away. Naruto was its master and therefore it had to keep him alive. Without really thinking, Naruto reached behind him, hand gripping the invisible foot long hilt. Itachi's eyes narrowed. He had caught a flicker of something, but it disappeared almost as soon as it came. What was it? As Kisame's sword clove toward Naruto's legs, the sword suddenly leapt into Naruto's hands. He swung. The two swords met mid-air with a loud thud. A shockwave was created, powerful enough to ruffle the hair of everyone present. Kisame and Itachi's eyes widened slightly. In Naruto's hands was a five foot long sword. From the crossguard to the tip, there was no blade, but a long, rounded, scale formation. It looked like an exact replica of Kisame's sword.

"…What jutsu is this?" Kisame said, his tone angry, his eyes surprised. Itachi's eyes set to work.

"This is no jutsu, Kisame," Itachi said after a moment. "That sword is as real as yours, though those scales are metal, and from the ringing sound, they are hollow inside." Kisame grunted, pushing down with his Samehada. Nothing happened. The boy was matching his super strength with ease. His eyes narrowed. What was going on? Itachi had already said this was no jutsu, and he knew his own strength was unrivaled, so unless they had been misinformed, and this boy possessed the same strength … of course. Kisame grinned.

"Well, this is interesting. You managed to gain a sword from a member of the _Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu_. That is the only way you can match my strength. I wonder which of those fools lost to you…" Kisame suddenly raised his sword at slashed at Naruto, but once again Naruto's scaled sword met his. Naruto was thankful for all those hours spent polishing up his Kenjutsu. It was the only thing keeping him from falling prey to Kisame's attacks. The sword could only aid Naruto so much, after all. Kisame's grin widened with bloodlust.

"You would have made a competent Swordsman. Too bad that dream will not come to be." Kisame moved faster than Naruto had seen him so far. He thrust Samehada toward Naruto, who tried to parry as he jumped back. But it had been a feint, and now Samehada was descending on Naruto's head, and he could not move fast enough to avoid the blow completely. Kisame was grinning ear to ear.

Poof! There was a loud bang and a puff of smoke in front of Naruto. There was a loud clang as Samehada met resistance. It took a few seconds for the smoke to clear, and when it did, it revealed a toad bigger than Naruto wearing Samurai armour. It had blocked Samehada's attack. Naruto heard chuckling behind him. His heart soared at that voice, but a second later it sunk as he recognised what was to come. He slowly turned and saw the Perverted Hermit standing in one of his silly stances, a woman draped over his left shoulder.

"Never fear, Master Jiraiya is here!"

_Oh boy_, Naruto thought, an eyebrow twitching.

XXX

Jiraiya stood in his ultimate cool guy pose. The woman over his right shoulder only made him manlier. The wisps of smoke made when he summoned Gama were at his feet, giving him a mysterious and powerful air. His hairstyle and incredible sense of ninja fashion only added to his picturesque image. He chuckled. Man he was so cool.

_Hehe, I will show you how a real ninja behaves, Naruto…_

"Fools! You thought a woman would be able to sidetrack me! You were wrong! Once you have become a great ninja like me, you will find out that woman worship your own beauty!" He gave another chuckle. He released Gama, and the puff of smoke made when the toad disappeared flew back, surrounding him for a few seconds. So cool. He gave a grin. Kisame gave a smirk as he straightened. Itachi looked at him, impassive. Naruto … Naruto's body was twitching slightly.

"Don't give me that!" Naruto exploded, pointing his sword at Jiraiya. "I bet that woman only gave you one wink and you were all over her, genjutsu or not. Is that why you are so late? We could have avoided all this! What kind of Sannin are you, eh, Ero-Sennin!?" Naruto was a bit peeved, to say the least. Jiraiya gave a regretful grin, rubbing the back of his head.

"I thought I told you not to call me that in front of people, Naruto," Jiraiya said, a hint of steel in his voice.

"Forget that, we have a bigger problem to deal with here. These guys are killers. We need to deal with them, Ero-Sennin, and help Sasuke."

"Don't call me Ero-Sennin!" Jiraiya screamed. Inwardly, he though; _shit. Sasuke is here. This will make dealing with Itachi a lot harder than it already is._

"It does not matter what name you go by, Master Jiraiya, you are still a disappointment. A ninja who appears to be nothing more than a lecherous old man with the disposition of a child." Kisame held his sword out in front, horizontal to his body. "But still you are one of the Sannin. We knew that genjutsu would be dispelled sooner or later." At these words, Jiraiya's gaze shifted to Itachi. He gazed into the red eyes with no fear. Itachi, deciding, on an impulse, to test the Sannin, suddenly used his eyes to cast a mediocre Binding genjutsu on Jiraiya, so that the Toad Hermit could not move. For a second Jiraiya gazed into those eyes, then he turned right and placed the unconscious woman on his shoulder onto the floor, resting against the wall. Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly before regaining their impassive expression.

"You are a disgrace to all men, using your eyes to force your will on this poor woman, simply so you could separate me from Naruto." Jiraiya made sure the woman was comfortable before standing up again. He was once again his old jovial self. He had temporarily lapsed into his older, wizened, and tired self.

"Well," Jiraiya said with a smile, "it seems that I can eliminate you two, right here, right now. How fortunate." Jiraiya's smile grew as his hands came together.

"NO!"

XXX

_Pain. That's the first thing he felt. That's the only thing he felt. It was not physical. It was not mental. Rather, it seemed to come from his very soul. A deep pain ingrained on his spirit, a blight on his soul. Images flashed through his head. Images of that fateful night. His relatives, his aunt and uncle, his grandfather and grandmother … his mother and father. It did not penetrate his mind of the two Uchiha he knew were entombed within the Uchiha Temple, alive but comatose. All he saw was death. He was unable to stop it. He was too weak. This death had an identity though, a face ingrained on his spirit like the pain; his brother, Uchiha Itachi. He screamed, but he had no voice. He was tormented in darkness, unable to act now and kill his brother, just like he had been unable to back then._

_And then he saw his face; those ice blue eyes, that unruly blonde hair, those mysterious faint whisker marks he had never found the compunction or the courage to enquire about. That calm, collected, and lonesome manner came to him next. His greatest rival, his only rival. The barrier he would always strive to overcome._

"_Giving up so easily, Sasuke?" the blond's voice came into Sasuke's head. "Just like with Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death?" _

_Silence, then, "NO!"_

_Sasuke came back to the world of the living._

XXX

"NO!" Sasuke said again, not to himself, or to Itachi, but to Naruto. He would not give up easily; he would not give up at all.

Everyone stopped when they heard the shout. They turned to look at the source; Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke was on his feet. His Sharingan eyes were blazing. They were literally glowing red. Naruto shivered. They reminded him of when the Kyuubi got particularly spiteful or hateful. Itachi slowly turned to look at his younger brother. He saw the eyes, filled with hate. He saw that they were glowing red, something he had never seen or heard of a Sharingan doing. But for all this, his face did not change.

"I am not interested in you at the moment," Itachi said. Sasuke's hair started floating around his face, his teeth bared.

"You are mine. I have waited for this day for a long time, Uchiha Itachi. Now you will pay for what you did." Sasuke extended his left arm, and in the blink of an eye, he had summoned a huge amount of chakra into it, manipulating it into a crackling white lightning ball in his palm. Itachi's eye widened slightly in surprise and question.

… _**Chidori**_

Sasuke swung his arm backwards, hitting the wall and kicking up a huge cloud of dust that obscured him completely from view. He emerged from the cloud a second later, running full pelt toward Itachi. His screaming voice filled the entire corridor. Naruto gritted his teeth. Itachi was an S-rank missing nin. What chance did he think he had, barely a chunin, of killing Uchiha Itachi?

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, trying top bring sense to the boy. Sasuke did not listen. He charged right up to Itachi, the **Chidori** at the ready. There was a loud boom. Smoke momentarily filled the corridor. When it cleared, Itachi held Sasuke's left wrist, the hand deflected away. There was a large hole in the wall. Sasuke swung his right fight, but Itachi was more than prepared.

"You are my brother," he said, almost as if reminding himself as well as Sasuke, before he broke Sasuke's wrist. Sasuke screamed in pain, and that was when Kisame put his full bulk to stop Naruto and Jiraiya from interfering.

"This is their fight. Let's not interfere," Kisame said with a smile. He looked back at the fight, but it was apparent he was aware of the two from his unwavering stance.

Sasuke suddenly turned to mud and fell into a small pool by Itachi's feet. _**Tsuchi Bunshin**_. Everyone was surprised. That's when they remembered the dust cloud the Chidori had made, and everyone looked toward it. It was slowly clearing. However, Itachi had no time to see it fully disperse as a rumbling filled the corridor. A second later, twelve dogs appeared from all angles, biting onto Itachi. Itachi seemed as surprised as everyone by their appearance as everyone else because his eyebrows actually lifted a few centimeters, his eyes wider than normal.

"**Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu**." Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique. Sasuke's voice came from the rapidly diminishing dust cloud. There was a crackling in the air as the sound of a thousand chirping birds pierced the silence. Sasuke emerged from the dust cloud faster than anyone had seen him move, including Naruto, the only person who had an inkling of what Sasuke could do. Naruto realized that Sasuke was using the speed he had copied from Lee-senpai when he had removed his weights. Velocity increases the effect of the impact. Sasuke's **Chidori** would have a greater effect than the one before. Itachi's eyes narrowed. He could not move because of the dogs, and Sasuke was coming at him with a jutsu that would kill him the moment it hit full force.

_You have certainly improved … but not enough. Coming at me head on displays your ignorance of the Sharingan, your own heritage. Pitiful._

Itachi closed his eyes. When he opened them, a large chakra suddenly surrounded him. A second later the dogs suddenly let go as they whimpered in pain. Their fur was burnt heavily. As they poofed away one by one, they were struggling to hold Itachi for as long as they could so that their summoner and master could do his task. Just as the last dog, the largest, poofed away, Sasuke was a mere foot from Itachi. There was a manic grin on his face. He extended his left hand, and suddenly hit **Chidori** was a few centimeters from Itachi's heart. Itachi's eyes, for the first time in years, momentarily widened. This was the first time he had come close to death for quite a while. What's more, it was at the hands of his weak foolish little brother. Itachi leaned back and then focused chakra into his feet. The large chakra did not make him stick to the surface, instead pushing him away from Sasuke and his **Chidori**. Sasuke gritted his teeth as the attack petered out in his palm. His lips pursed, but he charged onwards. As Itachi's feet found the floor again, he parried Sasuke's punch. He aimed an elbow at Sasuke's jaw, but Sasuke's Sharingan, still blazing red, saw the attack and Sasuke dodged. As he did so, he pulled out a kunai. He aimed it toward Itachi's heart. His teeth bared in frustration as his Sharingan saw what Itachi was doing. Itachi made a gesture so fast Sasuke almost missed it with his Sharingan, but he was able to see Itachi form a shadow clone. He knew the clone had appeared behind him. But Itachi was not done. He performed a **Kawarimi**, substituting himself with the clone. Sasuke would only hit a clone, and he would be exposed to attack from behind.

Sasuke's kunai barely pierced the Itachi clone before there was an explosion. Kisame laughed a bloodthirsty laugh.

"Being cruel as usual, using **Bunshin Bakuha**, CloneExplosion, on his own brother like that." as the smoke cleared, there were black burn marks within a five feet radius of Sasuke. Sasuke himself was badly burned, having been hit at point blank range. Sasuke turned round and faced an impassive Itachi.

"I am not interested in you," Itachi said again. Sasuke growled and ran at Itachi. Itachi suddenly struck out faster than anyone's eyes could see, hitting Sasuke square in chest. The palm thrust lifted Sasuke off his feet and sent him flying toward Kisame, Jiraiya, and Naruto. As Sasuke neared them, he suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Again, everyone's eyes widened. Shadow Clone? All that time? Their eyes riveted back to the back of the corridor, where Sasuke had been. A sudden crackling sound filled the corridor again. Itachi's eyes widened as he activated his Sharingan's power. Sasuke appeared before Itachi, moving as fast Lee had when he had opened the First Inner Gate. In his hand was a ball, not of white, but of crackling blue chakra.

_**Chidori**_ Everyone thought simultaneously. No, this attack was far more advanced and deadlier than **Chidori**. The thought hit them. Sasuke had learned Hatake Kakashi's ultimate ninjutsu, **Raikiri**. Itachi's eyes narrowed. Unlike **Chidori**, the harmful chakra of Raikiri surrounded all of Sasuke's hand and most of his forearm. Itachi could not redirect the attack without grievously injuring, if not fully incapacitating, his arm. Itachi activated his Sharingan's power, trying to cast a powerful binding genjutsu on Sasuke, but as he did so, the tomoe of Sasuke's Sharingan started spinning at an unprecedented rate. He was countering the powerful genjutsu with his own power. Sasuke was moving very fast, too fast. The powerful in his right hand contained most of his power and all of his hate and detest. Sasuke's face was contorted with anger. His eyes were glowing ominously. For the first time in his life, Itachi hesitated as he felt a twinge of fear. Sasuke had thought his plan of attack in under five seconds. He had created a diversion first with the Mud Clone, and then had bought time with the more powerful and more versatile Shadow Clone. He had used a lot of chakra with the two failed **Chidori**. He had used his Sharingan to cast a powerful genjutsu to fool not only Jiraiya, Naruto, and Kisame, but also Itachi's **Mangekyo Sharingan**. He had known his Sharingan were inferior, so he had deliberately kept Itachi occupied so he couldn't have time to detect and unravel the genjutsu that hid him. He had used a lot of chakra on all these diversions, totaling something like seven tenths, and now he used another two tenths on this last attack, the true attack meant to kill Itachi, the **Raikiri**. Sasuke was now moments away from realizing his goal.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. He had been lenient and dismissive of Sasuke, and now he would pay the price.

_So you're not so foolish, foolish little brother._ He used his trick again, leaning back and pushing off with chakra from the soles of his feet. This time he used a significantly larger amount. But still Sasuke would not be denied. He was moving too fast. As Itachi was propelled backwards, Sasuke's eyes lit up with triumph as his **Raikiri** hit Itachi right over the heart. As the two traversed the air, Sasuke's **Raikiri** cut at Itachi's clothes and went onto his skin. But Itachi had finally given his little brother all his attention. As Itachi's feet hit the floor, he leaned back, letting **Raikiri** pass over him. He struck out with both palms, hitting the passing Sasuke in the chest. Sasuke's forward momentum was suddenly transferred into upward momentum. Sasuke hit the ceiling with a loud thud. Something snapped loudly. Sasuke coughed up blood and lost control of the Lightning Blade. As he fell down, Itachi slid back some more from his backward momentum. As Itachi stood, he struck out fast with his right foot, catching Sasuke square in the chest again, making sure to avoid the cackles of the remnants of the Lightning Blade. Sasuke sailed along the corridor, hitting the back wall with another loud thud. Naruto grimaced.

Itachi stood to his full height. He was not pleased. His nuisance of a brother had just cost him a lot of unnecessary chakra. He watched his defeated brother with his sharp eyes. Sasuke was finished. He turned away from the wretch.

"…No!" If Itachi could have rolled his eyes, he would have. Why would his annoying brother not cease this one sided fight? He turned back and found Sasuke on his feet, breathing heavily, blood trickling out from the corners of his mouth.

_He is spent, beaten. He cannot even make seals to perform jutsu anymore._

"I am not finished with you," Sasuke grunted through a red haze of pain. Itachi narrowed his eyes. He needed to put Sasuke in his place. The boy was still weak, too weak.

"Very well," Itachi said.

"Bring it on!" Sasuke screamed, readying a fist as he charged despite his injuries. He never moved more than a foot as Itachi moved faster than his Sharingan could see. A knee slammed into his stomach. Hard.

_Even after all this time, the difference between us has barely changed. Why? What is this difference? Such speed, such strength, such jutsu, such power! Is this the __**Mangekyo Sharingan…**_

Sasuke was punched, kicked, elbowed and kneed until he fell to the ground, barely conscious and in a lot of pain. Itachi lifted Sasuke by his collar and slammed him into the wall.

"Even after all this time, you are still weak. Do you know why?" Itachi leaned in closer. "It is because you lack hatred," he whispered so that even Sasuke could barely hear him. "Hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Cling to your pathetic existence, foolish little brother." Itachi drew back and closed his eyes. After a second, he opened them, and they had transformed into the circular three prongs of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi looked into Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke screamed.

"Ruthless as always," Kisame commented with a smile. "Completely merciless. And now he uses **Tsukuyomi** on his own brother." Kisame shifted Samehada in his grip. "You deceived me, Itachi-san. Unless you aspire for your brother to have the same skill as you, he is not weak at all. He appears very talented, more than I did at his age. He even managed to land a hit on you, albeit and superficial one. Such eyes, such a ruthless mind. He is indeed your brother." Kisame rested the tip of Samehada on the floor. Itachi, if he had been paying any attention to Kisame, did not show it, instead keeping his eyes on Sasuke's. Sasuke screamed again.

"That's it!" Naruto screamed.

XXX

Naruto was rooted on the spot.

… _No matter how much I train, you're always there, in front of me, leading the way. Why!?_ Naruto's frustration was obvious on his face. Jiraiya spared him a glance.

_He had thought that he could face Sasuke now, but once again he has been set back by a genius. All that work and he's still behind. With __**Chisemi**__, he had rivaled Sasuke's __**Chidori**__, but now Sasuke also has the __**Raikiri**__ in his arsenal. On top of that, despite all his intellect, Sasuke has proven that he's a natural at battle strategy, being able to even mark Uchiha Itachi. Naruto doesn't think he can win. He's ultimate fight has been set back because of his own inadequacy once again … Hehe, I know how you feel, Naruto._

Naruto saw Sasuke getting beaten up. It was not a pretty sight. Itachi was truly merciless. A vein throbbed at his temple. Sasuke screamed one final time before slumping in Itachi's hand.

"That's enough!" Naruto screamed. It was time to show these bastards that he too hadn't been idle. He disappeared as he moved nearly as fast as Sasuke had been moving. Kisame blinked before smiling in relish. He chased after Naruto, a few steps behind. Like Naruto, his sword was in his right hand, trailing behind him. Naruto suddenly pivoted on his left foot. Turning round, he barely gave it a thought, and the scales that made his sword look like Kisame's retreated to the ricasso. He turned all his momentum into energy, energy he placed behind a double handed swing of his blade. The slash was more than Kisame had been expecting, and coupled with the surprise turn around, Kisame could only put up a flimsy guard. Naruto's slash won out and Naruto smiled as his swing easily brushed aside Kisame's Samehada. Kisame, like Itachi, leaned back and pushed himself from the attack. Naruto's silver blade could only make a straight cut across the bridge of Kisame's nose before Kisame was out of range. Still using some of his left over momentum and surprise, Naruto jumped toward Kisame. This time the Shark-like man could not put up a defense, and Naruto's sword found Kisame's heart. Naruto smiled. Kisame turned into a puddle of water.

Naruto heard Kisame's chuckle behind him. "You will pay for slicing my nose," Kisame said with absolute bloodlust before he swung Samehada at Naruto's legs. They were easily cut clean off. Kisame's laughter turned into a grunt of frustration as Naruto and his dismembered limbs and blood turned to smoke. A shadow clone. When the smoke cleared, Naruto was standing a few feet in front of Jiraiya. He had done what Itachi had; he had made a shadow clone and then used it for a Kawarimi. And why? To make a smokescreen and buy time. He gathered a lot of chakra. He closed his eyes in concentration and formed several seals. Kisame's eyes widened. The kid performed skills with the grace and speed of at least an Elite Chunin, if not a lower Jonin. The seal speed was amazing for one so young. He had not time to swing Samehada and disperse the large amount of gathered chakra. Naruto opened his eyes and slammed his palms onto the ground. There were several beads of sweat on his forehead already.

"**Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari**," Naruto said clearly. Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind. The walls started being overrun by growing pink tissue. In seconds the entire corridor and all the adjoining corridors were covered. Jiraiya nodded and smiled down at Naruto. So this was one of the jutsu Naruto had learned from the scroll. He appeared to have mastered it well enough, but, like his Summoning, he simply did not have enough chakra control and chakra experience for such a highly demanding jutsu. But he had done well enough. This jutsu was as good as he could do it himself.

"Welcome to my stomach," Naruto said with a smile. "I have summoned the esophagus of a great, fire-breathing toad from Mount Myoboku: Rock Lodging. In moments you will be digested, reduced to nothing more than toad bait." Naruto gave a small chuckle filled with bloodlust. Kisame bared his teeth, but as he tried to put his sword at the ready, he found he could not move it. He looked down, and to his surprise, his sword and feet were slowly sinking into the pink flesh. Naruto had to concentrate on keeping Sasuke safe within the folds of the flesh of the esophagus, so for a few moments Itachi was free. However, once Naruto was done with Sasuke, he concentrated solely on the two Akatsuki members. His chakra was draining at a rapid rate, but it was worth it. Itachi and Kisame were now trapped and sinking.

"Kisame," Itachi said, and immediately Kisame started pulling away from the folds of flesh. Naruto was amazed by the strength and speed of the shark-like man. In a few seconds he was free. Itachi, because he had only begun to be grabbed, easily pulled free. They both started running.

"Not so fast!" Naruto shouted. He released a large wave of chakra, and suddenly thick walls of flesh detached themselves from the tract and started for the two Akatsuki members. They caught fire and increased speed. By now Naruto was breathing heavily. He had never released so much chakra at such a rate. Nevertheless, he persevered. The long flesh ropes gained speed, and Kisame had to stop and cut them down before resuming his escape, but it was pointless. More flesh replaced the one he had cut. The two rounded the corner in a flash, but Naruto knew it was hopeless. Nothing could escape this jutsu. Naruto pushed more chakra, his very last, and the esophagus started to thicken and contract. In a few more seconds Kisame and Itachi would be caught, unable to move, and then slowly digested.

There was suddenly a big bang. Jiraiya started. He knew the jutsu was inescapable. So what was that noise. It sounded ominous. Both Naruto and Jiraiya ran after the Akatsuki pair, Naruto slightly behind, sword at the ready. They rounded the corner and came upon a strange sight; a hole that led outside with black fire at the edges … and no Akatsuki. Jiraiya and Naruto cursed at the same time. How had it happened? Jiraiya stepped forward and performed the **Fuka Hoin**, the Fire Sealing Method. He bade Naruto to step back, putting out an arm to stop Naruto from approaching. Naruto hit the solid arm and dropped to the ground in the supine position. Jiraiya spent a few more seconds concentrating on the sealing until it was finished. He rolled up the scroll and put it away, tying it securely.

"Alright, that should do for now until I can study it. Naruto, well …" Jiraiya's mouth went agape, then he smiled sadly. Naruto had passed out from exhaustion. He was breathing peacefully. Competing with a genius was very taxing. Jiraiya stomped his right foot and the jutsu was dispelled. Sasuke was gently placed on the ground by the flesh before it disappeared. He was in a bad way, and some kind of genjutsu had been used on his mind, so he was doubly injured. Tsunade needed to be found, and quickly. There was a pop from behind Jiraiya. The Perverted Hermit turned round and found Gamakichi crouched there.

"Sorry, old man," Gamakichi said, "But that lady you wanted me to follow found me out. She made a runner for it with her two attendants. I could only follow for a few miles before they lost me, but I did manage to see they were headed toward the west. Try your luck there." With a short wave, Gamakichi disappeared. Jiraiya sighed. Looked like they were in for another long search.

Jiraiya suddenly felt something and turned left. He saw a green blur coming toward him. It had a funky haircut and big eyebrows.

"Dynamic Entry!" the green blur shouted.. Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched in annoyance and horror.

"GAI!" he screamed.

XXX

Naruto slowly awoke. It was night. There was a strong wind, but he was warm. He looked sideways. He was sheltered within a dip in the ground, below some rocks. There was a fire going, and some meat hung from a spit. His sword, having taken on its scaled form when he blacked out, was by his side. The only clothes he had on were his shirt and trousers. He looked back up at the ceiling. Silence claimed the little space. Finally, he decided to break it.

"How is Sasuke?" he said into.

"Not good," replied Jiraiya solemnly. "I don't know what Itachi did to him, but he's comatose now, just like Kakashi." Naruto nodded at that as if he completely understood. What else could he do.

"Nothing is worse than seeing your students fall in battle," Jiraiya whispered softly, but still Naruto heard him. "That was a stupid stunt you pulled," Jiraiya said louder, a note of anger in his voice. "You do not have the chakra to sustain such a jutsu." Naruto did not reply. He simply looked away. In his mind, he saw Sasuke … and Hiarashi. Those two, his rivals. They had surpassed him. They could do these difficult jutsu, and he couldn't. He knew for a fact Hiarashi could perform the Toad Mouth Bind with little difficulty, and all he had done was pass out. His gritted his teeth. He was falling behind, despite all his training. Why? Naruto was suddenly lifted into the air by the collar. He looked up into Jiraiya's eyes, and Naruto thought he could smell a little sake on Jiraiya's breath.

"Stop behaving like a child," Jiraiya said in his rarely used serious voice. "You are a ninja, not a toddler. Life is not a game at which you try to outdo your friends. Start acting more like a ninja. You are not a genius, accept that and move on. Stop endangering your life for stupid reasons. You will end up dying one day." Just as abruptly as he had been lifted, he was thrust back onto the ground.

"I have been showing you _how_ to do things, not whether or not you _should_. That brain of yours in empty, nothing but a rock. It needs to be filled … and here's the first step.." Jiraiya dropped a balloon with water next to Naruto. "I want you to pop that balloon using only your chakra by this time tomorrow, like so." Jiraiya demonstrated, popping the balloon in three seconds. And just like that, Jiraiya walked out into the night and disappeared.


	23. Volume 1: What Is A Ninja?

**First of all, I'd like to thank you all for reading and staying with the story so far. I appreciate all the reviews I get, even though I rarely reply and it seems I'm like an ungrateful bastard. The truth is that I look forward to each new batch of reviews. They've helped me out more times than I care to count, and have given me numerous ideas. While I haven't actually taken an idea in one of the reviews, reading the reviews just gives me inspiration. I want to reply, but I get so caught up I forget.**

**Second, as I'm sure most of you are aware, the Fourth has been revealed as Naruto's father in the manga. His name is Minato Namikaze, and Naruto's mother is Uzumaki Kushina. Now all of you will go, there, that's it then! Hiarashi Namikaze is Naruto's sister, and I'm sure you're all thinking up nasty plots to happen to Hiarashi, half of which I'm sure I would like. But the relationship between Naruto and Hiarashi, on which I won't elaborate, is complicated, and very central to what happens in this fanfiction. Just bear with me. But I would appreciate a few suggestions. Maybe I could inject humour in there now and then.**

**Finally, for the time being anyways, I want to make something clear. The Fourth Hokage was a genius that made Orochimaru and Itachi look like normal ninja. He was the youngest Hokage, partly through his incredible skill, which was more than Sarutobi's, who beat two previous powerful Konoha shinobi, who were the First and Second Hokage, plus Orochimaru. He possessed genius only seen once a generation, at best. This is the same power and potential Hiarashi posses, which would mean, and I'm sure most of you are gasping and getting some righteous anger, that she is stronger than Naruto. I know it sucks, but there was a reason I made Hiarashi so powerful and so much like her mother. Some of you should be able to guess why…**

**Anyhow, enjoy my longest ever chapter. It's mostly Naruto, and I've tried to show that he is incredibly strong, but you won't get to see how strong until another chapter or two.**

**By the way, Sasuke, at the beginning of this chapter, is slightly stronger than Naruto.**

**XXX**

Naruto woke up with a sigh. It was evening. It had been one full day. No sign of Jiraiya. He lay for a minute, gathering the mental power to make his body move. He was perfectly fine, perfectly healthy, but problem lay not with his body, but with his mind. He had too many thoughts running through his head and he could find no solution for any of the problems that seemed to pop up in his mind one after another.

… _Hiarashi … Sasuke … Kakashi-sensei … Ero-Sennin … This damned training exercise …_

Of course, at the top of Naruto's to do list was the training Jiraiya had left him; popping the water balloon. He still had not done it. It was proving more difficult than he imagined. In fact, the damn water balloon, something made of elastic plastic, a material so fragile it did not even bare thinking about, was proving so taxing and so difficult to pop that Naruto suspected Ero-Sennin must have somehow tempered with it. Of course, that had proved to be naturally the case when he had emptied the water balloon and looked at it closely. Some fine print was written near the base of balloon. It read;

_**Jin's Balloons!**_

_The finest balloons in Hi no Kuni!_

_Able to resist extreme heat, pressure and damage!_

_Perfect for those feisty little kids who love to play rough!_

Figures this simple task would end up being tougher than need be, typical of Ero-Sennin. What was it Ero-Sennin had said that first training session they had so long ago?

"_You kid, aren't like the others. Learning fine chakra control is for people like Kakashi, people who have even less chakra than you do."_

"_Kakashi-sensei has less chakra than I do?"_

"_Definitely! So what you need to do is to learn to harness all that explosive power and put it behind some powerful jutsu. Learning fine chakra control like your teammate Sakura does will only hinder you. You need to learn to release as much chakra as you can in as little time as possible. That's the first step anyways…"_

Ok then, he had done that. So this exercise was nothing more than an extension of what Ero-Sennin had said; maximum chakra. But it seemed that even with all his vast reserves, the balloon would simply not pop. Naruto resisted a groan as he looked at the small heap carefully placed in the corner of the small cave he was in; a heap of balloons. And what's more, the ones on the bottom pile seemed not to be balloons, but actually little rubber balls. Naruto took out a kunai and dragged the extremely sharp tip across the surface of a water filled rubber ball. It only scratched the surface.

_Correction … they're __**tough**__ little rubber balls. And I'm expected to pop these too? … Curse you, Ero-Sennin …_

Ok, so this was simply a matter of figuring out the correct method to popping the balloons, and the balls. But how. Naruto groaned with frustration. He was no good at thinking things out like this. His mind worked best when under pressure, when there was a rush of adrenalin going through his veins, when it seemed like a dead end. But how to induce that feeling only a high risk battle could bring, like the one he had with Gaara, back during the Chunin Exams? He smiled. There was one other activity that enthralled Naruto just as much as a good fight; training. He needed lots of noise, lots of action, something to drive away all the oppressive silence that filled the little cave and the surrounding terrain. Even the small waterfall that covered the entrance to the cave did nothing to make Naruto feel less isolated. It did the exact opposite, in fact. Naruto smiled again. He was just the right shinobi for this type of job then. He quickly scooped up everything. He doubted he would come back into this cavern ever again. He would be too busy. With one last look, he jumped from the cave and down to the ground. He dropped the stuff onto the ground and set about gathering his chakra. When he had gathered every last drop, he started concentrating on the demon fox's chakra. He only took as much as his own capacity, which wasn't even a scratch to the fox's immense reserve so he did not doubt for a second that the giant fox sleeping behind the golden bars felt a thing. It merely flicked an ear in irritation. Oh well, no loss there.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Naruto screamed, pouring everything into the jutsu. The entire clearing and the surrounding area was covered in smoke. When it cleared, it revealed no just tens of Naruto, but hundreds, enough to start a small war with. Naruto smiled grimly. Good.

"Ok, you five, you're team leaders. Organize everything, set everything up. Let's get this place buzzing."

"Too right!" the four selected shadow clones replied. "This place is way too boring for my taste." And the ball was off. The hundreds of shadow clones spilt up into five teams, and then into further smaller teams as tasks were delegated. Naruto suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground, half conscious. He winced. He was experiencing first hand one of the true dangers of the mass shadow replication technique; its effect on the user. Keeping up these many shadow clones, and some over great distances for they had moved to quieter places to perform their own tasks, was downright exhausting. It took him a full hour before he became used to the feeling, and another two for him to feel once more like himself. Meanwhile, activity went on around him. To some people, it would look almost as if a mini shinobi village had popped up. With the help of Naruto's prized **Taijutsu Aid Scroll**, many things had already been set up, like a very large and difficult obstacle course. Naruto shook his head; he never ceased to surprise people, he included, apparently.

He looked and felt all going on around him, and he stilled his body as he concentrated, looking for the link. That same link that could tire and exhaust him, that same link he had used to discover the ability to absorb clones and thereby save chakra. He looked for it now, and found it. He suddenly, if only dimly, became aware of all the stuff his clones were up to. Keeping an eye on so many different consciousnesses, no matter how similar, was simply impossible. As he became aware of this connection, he suddenly became aware of a drain on his chakra. He smiled again. So here was another secret of the famous **Kage Bunshin**; by closing up the link, or in his case being unaware of it, the drain on his chakra was fixed. But now, with him open to the link, the shadow clones would continue to function on his chakra when theirs was depleted, and because he was aware of them, they wouldn't simply disappear after a little pressure was applied to them. Interesting. Naruto had narrowed down shinobi knowledge to five things; genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu were the obvious three. However, he had added kinjutsu and intelligence to the list. Kinjutsu was obvious because of his new chosen method of fighting, by using swords. Intelligence was the last and perhaps the most taxing; it involved all the knowledge a shinobi employed whilst engaged in the true art of the shinobi, stealth. Gathering information, passing on information, keeping information safe, making strategies, unraveling plots and plans, all these fell under his one big category, and many more.

Naruto shook his head of one the clone's thoughts. He settled down onto the ground, now concentrating on the task he had set himself in the first place; to pop those goddamned water balloons.

_Rotation is the key._

That much was obvious from what he had seen Ero-Sennin do. But just what kind of rotation. He picked up a balloon and looked at it as if it could give him the answers he desired. There was obviously some trick to this whole thing, a trick he was expected to discover on his own. After all, that was the purpose of this whole exercise, right?

"_I have been teaching you __**how**__ to do things, not whether or not you __**should**__." _Those were Ero-Sennin's words. This was a thinking exercise. It was meant to test his thinking capabilities. So what was the trick to popping the balloon?

XXX

It seemed like a great idea at first, it really did. But after three weeks, not so much, especially after he came up with the idea of _not_ dispelling them. Keeping up over four hundred clones was not an easy task. Some clones were engaged in stealth exercises, playing ninja tag, or ninja hide and seek, or ninja search and destroy. All these forms of stealth activities somehow seemed to involve a large amount of highly deadly explosive tags. Naruto thought not to ask. He would know soon enough anyways.

Some clones were engaged in the mental activities of a shinobi, like playing shougi. Of course, it was not normal chess. The chess board just had to have been made by the same person who created the training post, which meant it was able to learn and improve using all the experience of all the shinobi who had played on it. Naturally, the board just had to have once belonged to a Nara. Well, even if only shadow clones, Naruto was not one to give up. Of course it helped that there were many clones to watch, learn, play, and hope to win. That idea that the first clone to play on the board had of putting an explosive tag on the chair and blowing up the tag when the clone lost was really start to drag down the numbers, especially after three weeks of constant losing. Naruto just could not beat the board … or at least, none of the shadow clones could.

Some clones were engaged in taijutsu practice. Their goal? Perfecting technique. Like Sanhana had once told Hinata, it was no good learning new and better things if you had not perfected the stuff you already knew. It was just creating more problems for the future. Perfecting abilities already attained was a big part of shinobi life. Naruto had three styles he knew and could do well, styles which suited him. But a taijutsu master could move without losing energy, which is to say each twitch of his or her muscle had some purpose and was not just a show of speed or strength. Fluidity. That was the key word. That was what Lee-senpai had managed to attain in his intensive training with the great Maite Gai. That was what these shadow clones aimed to do; to be fluid. And with three very intense styles, the Leaf Blade, the Dance of the Waves, and the Dragon's Hidden Claw, they were more than occupied. They would split up into two man groups, one watching with a hawk's eye while another went through the forms, pointing out the inevitable flaws. And then there would be the sparring matches. And then there would be more kata practices. The great thing about being shadow clones was that no sustenance was needed, only chakra, so they went like this from well before dawn to well after dusk, only resting when the real Naruto called it a day. After three weeks, there was definitely improvement. They were nearly there alright.

Some shadow clones were engaged in the task of ninjutsu, which, for the first time in Naruto's life, did not include learning new jutsu. He had nothing and no one to learn from. Instead, the clones concentrated on what Ero-Sennin had said; Naruto lacked chakra experience. He might have more than average chakra, and he might have mastered some of it by now, to an acceptable degree, but he still had no real experience with using any of it for battle. He had rarely used large amounts of chakra, only using it for shadow clones. Jutsu such as the **Toad Mouth Bind** required a lot of concentration and some kind of experience using them before they could be used to their full potential. Naruto's body simply wasn't used to such an expenditure of chakra in such a way; ergo they tired him greatly, or more than they should anyway. So he needed to improve his use of jutsu, which meant practicing them all regularly so that his body got used to using such jutsu. The elemental jutsu he knew were particularly hard to do because simply manipulating chakra from one element to another in quick succession was no easy task. Such things were for ninja like Kakashi-sensei. But still Naruto could try to manipulating the chakra in his body until he felt more comfortable with it, making using it for jutsu second nature, which in turn made him a deadlier shinobi. Because ninjutsu is such a broad subject, and a very obscure one, some of these shadow clones were doing something very few shinobi had the time, effort, or even capacity to attempt; improve ninjutsu. Naruto had always been good at the sciences. It was the one thing in his life he could ever remember being so adept at. And seeing as all ninjutsu had an intended effect, a physical effect, Naruto planned on using his natural ability for the sciences to work out ways to make ninjutsu more powerful. He had already done so with the Fire Release ninjutsu he knew, making them Uchiha level while also giving them their distinctive blue flames, instead of the usual yellow. This task was undertaken by very few shadow clones simply for the fact that improving ninjutsu was not very useful. Of course the ninjutsu might be more powerful, but they just might end up using up too much chakra, which would make them useless in a fight. And furthermore, since most jutsu drew their effect from one element or another, like Toads for instance, it was impossible to find ways to improve the ninjutsu in any way. But still, being a shinobi, it never hurt to have a trick or two up the sleeve for dire circumstances.

Some clones were engaged in genjutsu; there were three things needed when it came to genjutsu, which were good chakra control, intelligence, and sharp senses. Naruto had these in differing measures, but they had been enough to get him by. Now he needed to perfect them to the high standard they were required to be at. Most of the shadow clones concentrated on chakra control, seeing as the other two was being taken care of by other shadow clone teams in their various exercises. The shadow clones called upon every technique to control chakra properly, from the ones taught to them by Sakumo-sensei to the ones Iruka-sensei had introduced in an attempt to prepare Naruto for the final stage of the Chunin Exam and be better able to summon toads. Naruto had obviously managed to master them, but not perfect. It was always something Iruka-sensei had nagged on about and even Kakashi-sensei, to some degree. Perfect your skills. Now the shadow clones took that chance, using various materials and objects to achieve their task. Other shadow wondered about genjutsu themselves; they effected the mind right? Then why did the body react? They had meandered off genjutsu onto the human body. Naruto had been required by Taita-sensei to know the human body, but he had only learned what he was taught, like the location of certain nerve bundles and so on. Now the shadow clones studied the body in depth, so much so far that they knew a lot about how it functioned, about all the different systems that helped keep it alive. In the end their course would turn out to have nothing to do with genjutsu, but it still provided invaluable information.

And this was just the tip of the iceberg to what was going on. Naruto sighed restlessly as he looked and felt at all the action going on around him, the progress. He was not doing so well, mainly because he was injured. His right hand could now only be used for a few hours each day because it was just so painful. He had managed to pop the balloon after a week and the rubber ball the week after, but still, he was doing something wrong, and he knew it. It took too much time and concentration. Jiraiya had done it with the water balloon in three seconds, and he hadn't even looked fazed by that feat at all. What was Naruto doing wrong? Naruto looked at his feet where three water balloons and three rubber balls lay. Six tries to get it right. He grimaced as his right hand gave a throb of pain. Naruto suspected it all the chakra he kept channeling into it in such harmful and punishing amounts. It did not even heal anymore like every other wound did. He could now only use for a few times before the pain got so high that his hand was completely numb. Naruto sighed as the spasms passed.

_Rotation is the key. To pop the balloon maximum speed is necessary. To pop the ball maximum power is necessary. But it still takes too much chakra. It's impractical. But if I know Ero-Sennin, there is a hidden motive behind this. He wouldn't set me something he didn't think I should be able to do. There's something I'm missing. What it is?_

Naruto sighed again. There was something he was missing. But dwelling on it didn't seem to be helping. Maybe a nice long nap would help him become fresher. It would also increase his healing rate, so his hand should be feeling better. He lay back on the ground there and then. His eyes half closed as he sought for that state of meditation he had been taught by Taita-sensei. Within seconds his mind was a white haze, completely blank. His breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't awake either.

Thoughts began to filter into this state of meditation, no matter how much he resisted. At first they consisted of his attempts with the chakra molding, for that was what popping the balloon was, and the ball; concentrating chakra into one part of your body, like the tree climbing exercise, or the water walking exercise. His thoughts went round in circles as if trying to unearth a truth he already knew, a truth buried in his own mind. After a few minutes, they began to drift to other memories, to much older memories. Naruto impassively observed his experiences as a member of Team 7, all those tens of missions they had gone on together, and how each one had been a success, no matter the obstacles. As he watched, he began to see a pattern he had not realized himself. As his mind travelled backward in time, the pattern became obvious. The day Naruto had come back from his six months intensive training, he had been calm, impassive, and distant, the perfect soldier. As time had moved on, however, and he got to know his teammates and his sensei, he had slowly opened up to them. His mental and emotional barriers had slowly eroded away under their care and patience until they were altogether non-existent. He saw the same things were evident in Sasuke, Sakura, and even their distant and unresponsive sensei, Kakashi. They had become a true team. Naruto did not pause to think on this as his mind moved further back in time. He watched each scene as a spectator, noting things he had never even given a moment's thought. As his mind moved further back to the less enjoyable memories of his life, mainly his harsh training as a Konoha shinobi with his three sensei –Sakumo-sensei, Jin-sensei, and Taita-sensei – and his difficult life in Konoha beforehand, he shrunk further back into himself, trying to protect himself from the terror that filled his mind and heart. But his barriers, so long cultivated, had been breached and destroyed, and all he could do was watch. The final memory that he saw before he blissfully sank into unconsciousness was the one he treasured the most; it was dusk, the sky filled with the orange setting sun, and he was walking down a path while a black haired boy say at the end of a jetty, by a lake. He smiled fondly before darkness invaded his mind.

XXX

The man in the shadows looked down at what he was seeing. It had been three weeks. He had seen many things he had never thought possible, most notably the jutsu that was in effect now, that had been in effect for three weeks straight. He had never seen chakra so high and resilient … except from two other people. However, those two people were rare geniuses, the kind of ninja that are born, not made. The kind that are born only once a generation, at best. The kid below him was no genius, true, but he had guts, and a certain ingenuity that was most other shinobi lacked, even geniuses, even the aforementioned geniuses. He liked the kid that was for sure. The kid had grown on him. He may have been harsh, but shinobi life was not all fun and games. The kid needed to see that, to learn that, and take it to heart. His latest "tough love" maneuver seemed to have backfired somewhat though, but that was alright though. He would be there when the kid learned what he needed to learn so as to advance to the next stage of being a great shinobi. He had to admit, he had not thought the kid would get this far in such a short time. He had only given the kid the deadline so as to motivate him; he knew the kid liked challenges. He gave a sigh and settled down comfortably in his hiding position. The boy was close to achieving his goal. He could sense it. All that was needed was more time. Unfortunately, the kid had only a maximum of one week left. His shadow clone spies and his toads had finally found their target, and according to what they had found out, the target would be in a town a few miles north for a few days. He and the kid had to make their move then. He reached into his jacket and drew an orange diary with a picture of a man and a woman embracing on the front. He took out an ink bottle and a brush and set them on the branch in front of him. He opened the diary to the right page and dipped his fine brush into the ink. If he wasn't doing anything at the moment, he might as well work on his latest novel. Travelling around for a few months had given him loads of new ideas.

"Hehe," Jiraiya said softly, "this is going to be my best novel yet." A big grin graced his face.

XXX

Naruto woke with a start. It was morning. All around him there was noise as the shadow clones set about their work. His mind was hazy. He could not remember why he had woken up. Everything seemed strange to him. Why wasn't he in his bed? And then everything came back in a rush, the memories of the past few months. And then he remembered why he had woken up. It was to do with all the memories he had remembered, and the dream he had just had. Everything seemed to clear to him now. He could not believe he had missed it before. It was so simple. He suddenly stood up and looked around him, and spotting a nearby clone, he called to it.

"Hey, you! Come here, now!" The clone looked at him wit a frown, disgruntled. It had been in the middle of a game of shougi with another clone.

"Can't you call someone else? I'm a bit busy at the moment." Naruto's anger flared up.

"Watch who you're talking to like that!? Do you want me to dispel you right here, right now?" The clone paled, if that was possible.

"Fine, fine, jeez…" It stood up and came to Naruto.

"I want you to look at my crown. Tell me; in what direction does my hair go?" The clone was puzzled, to say the least.

"Is that all? You could have done this yourself, you know?" The clone was obviously not impressed. Naruto's anger only rose higher.

"Remember who the shadow clone is here, mister!" he shouted.

"Fine, fine … your hair goes clockwise. Now can I go back to my game?" Naruto, however, was no longer listening. He went back and sat on his rock, thinking heavily. So many things were falling into place now. In five minutes, he would know whether or not he was right. Teaching from Sakumo-sensei came back to him and from Jin-sensei as well. He applied them to this problem, and he was surprised by the elated feeling that grew in his stomach.

_The flow of chakra; that's what I was missing. Jin-sensei called it the flow of __**ki**__, the flow of inner energy. All this time I have been working against the flow, ignoring it, which is why I haven't been able to get this right properly. I have been going against my own body's flow of __**ki**__, so no wonder success has been limited. To pop the balloon, rotation is the key, high speed rotation, but multi-directional rotation is essential, too. Ero-Sennin's balloon did not go flat as a pancake before it popped. Just like that cat I saw back in Konoha years ago playing with my water balloon, I have to hit the balloon's surface simultaneously in multiple spots before it gives way. I suspect to pop the ball, I will use the same principles, but I will have to use my maximum chakra to add enough power to pop it. In other words, adapting the water-walking exercise theory of shifting mass and density … now, let's see if I'm right …_

Naruto picked up a water balloon. He placed it in his right hand this time, instead of his left. He held it firmly in front of his face and poured chakra into it, making sure it was multi-directional. He built up the speed after he had gotten enough rotation, and in ten seconds, humps formed all over the balloon … and it burst with a loud pop. Water drenched the front of his shinobi vest, but thankfully it was water-proof so his scrolls and tools remained safe. He stared at his hand in disbelief. He had done it. And it barely took much effort. Slowly, a foxy smile graced his lips. He picked up a rubber ball. Building up enough power took longer, but in twenty seconds the ball burst. He couldn't contain himself any longer. With a shout he jumped into the air, fists clenched.

"Yeah! I did it! Unbelievable!" Nearby clones stopped and looked at him, and slowly applause rose among them. Naruto barely paid it any attention. He was in a world of his own. A happy one. It took a few minutes for him to calm down, but when he did, he went back to the remaining two balloons and two balls. He confidently picked up one balloon. It burst in five seconds. He picked up a ball. It burst in ten seconds. He picked up another ball, and it burst in five seconds. The smile never left his face.

"I did it, Ero-Sennin!" he shouted, pumping a fist into the air. " … But …" Naruto frowned. Something else had occurred to him in his dream and his mind wonderings. He picked up the last water balloon and looked at it thoughtfully. Learning to pop the balloon and the ball had left him with severe chakra burns, and that was when he hadn't been doing it properly. And the specifics of bursting the balloon and the ball came back to him; maximum rotation, maximum speed, and maximum power… Wasn't there a way to combine all three concepts into one? A small ball of concentrated chakra … hadn't he encountered that before, somewhere? But his mind was already on a roll. He had no time for thought as he made a focus sign with his left hand, a half tiger sign. He held the balloon in his right hand. He poured chakra into it, giving it maximum rotation, speed, and power. In a second humps began to form on the balloon, and Naruto knew it was about to burst. He turned round to face a tree trunk and thrust the balloon at the trunk. For a second, the balloon's surface burst, spraying Naruto with water, and revealed a small blue orb of spinning chakra Naruto easily recognised. And then, with no shell to contain its power, the orb burst, releasing all the contained chakra. Naruto yelled in shock and pain as the force of the chakra lifted him off his feet. He flew ten metres back and landed roughly on the ground, rolling for a few more metres as he slowed to a stop. He looked up at the sky, his eyes wide. The power of that chakra, it was amazing. But then again, he shouldn't be so surprised; after all, there was a high concentration of chakra in a small form, which meant that when that chakra was released … boom. A jutsu of unprecedented power. His mind travelled back to the mission to get Hiarashi. This was the jutsu she had been about to use on him. This was one of the Fourth Hokage's ultimate original ninjutsu. Another thought flashed through his mind. This was what Ero-Sennin had been setting him up for all along. He wanted to see if Naruto had the mental capacity to realize the true power of the exercise, to find a way to figure out use all those separate elements and combine them into one, to create this ninjutsu.

"You've realized the power of the Rasengan." Naruto's eyes slowly turned left as he looked away from the sky. "Faster than I expected, too."

"Ero-Sennin," Naruto said, making no effort to get up from the ground. Jiraiya smiled as he came to sit by Naruto's side. Naruto gave him one of his foxy grins in return, triumph written all over his face.

"You can't keep me down, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said. Jiraiya chuckled.

"No, I guess nobody can. I guess I should have realized … but I needed to know something." Jiraiya looked at his surroundings, openly studying all the shadow clones at work. He shook his head, not realizing it. Another surprise in the long list of Naruto surprises. Kakashi was right, after all. Naruto was the "Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja".

Naruto's mouth pursed in thought. "Know what?"

"I needed to know if you were a true ninja," Jiraiya said. Naruto looked at Jiraiya before exploding.

"You mean I went through all this just for you to find out whether I was a shinobi or not? What kind of excuse is that, eh, Ero-Sennin!? Do you have any idea what I've gone through for nearly four weeks? I can't believe it-"

"Shut up, idiot!" Jiraiya said. Naruto folded him arms and sat down, his head turned away. Jiraiya sighed. At least the kid was back to his old self. He took a breath before continuing.

"I needed to make sure you do not have the same ambitions as ninja like Orochimaru, and that you do not aspire to. I needed to make sure you will not turn out like him." Naruto was shocked, to say the least. How could Ero-Sennin compare him to Orochimaru? Jiraiya sensed the boy's outrage and confusion, and he held up a hand to forestall any interruptions. "You have had such a tough life, Naruto, as we both know. It wasn't easy for you, growing up in Konoha. And once you became a shinobi, things did not become any easier. But the world of shinobi opened up many possibilities. A powerful ninja like Orochimaru can have almost anything he wants. Ninjutsu has so many terrible powers. You could have become like Orochimaru, seek out ninjutsu and kinjutsu, and use them for your own ends. You could have had revenge. And with a power like Kyuubi inside you, if you managed to reach the level of the Sannin, you would be invincible, especially if Kyuubi willingly gave you power in hopes that you would free him. Such an action would spell doom for all shinobi, especially Konoha. After what's happened, I needed to make sure where your loyalties stood. Can you say that what I did was not justified?" Naruto could only sit there, shocked. But slowly he began to use his mind, and he knew what Ero-Sennin said made sense, although something like that had never occurred to him … well, actually it had, so many years ago. But, unlike Gaara, he had not given in to the pain and loneliness and let it shape his life. He had forged his own path.

"But how exactly did mistreating me, belittling my Nindo, and abandoning me, help you to find out whether I was like Orochimaru, and sought only power?" Even as he said it, the answer occurred to him. However, he kept quiet and looked at Jiraiya. Jiraiya, in turn, looked back at the working shadow clones.

"After so many wrongs done to you, especially in such a short time, you would have become frustrated, as you did during the first night. You could have either done exactly as I told you, or you could have simply left and gone to find another way to power. With Kyuubi inside you, I have no doubt you could have done that … but you didn't." Jiraiya looked at him with a smile on his face. "You are a true shinobi. You know that drowning yourself in ninjutsu, just so you could beat your rivals that are geniuses, is not the way to true power. You did not give up. You did not abandon Konoha or your loyalties. You have the Will of Fire, the will never to give up. You have guts, kid. And that's what being a shinobi is about. It means enduring pain, surviving, and becoming stronger because of it." Naruto looked at Jiraiya, and then slowly smiled.

"Thanks, Ero-Sennin."

XXX

The day was sunny. Two women were walking down a big but abandoned street. A pig was walking behind them, making disgruntled noises. One woman had blonde hair and brown eyes. She looked like she was approaching her thirties. She wore black high-heeled shoes, light blue trousers, and a grey top under a light green jacket. On the back of the jacket, in an orange circle, was a kanji symbol that read "The Legendary Sucker". The other woman had black hair and black eyes. She, too, looked like she was approaching her thirties. She, too, wore black high-heeled shoes, a black dress that went down to her ankles that had long sleeves, and she wore a white sash around her waist. Both women were very attractive. The pig also wore a piece of clothing, something resembling a maroon shirt, and a necklace of pearls around her throat. This was one of the reasons why the women had decided to take this secluded route. They did not want to leave a trace, and a pig wearing clothes would most certainly make people remember their passage. Another reason was that they simply did not want to mingle with other people. Today was a day that held great significance for both women. They wanted to be alone.

Suddenly the blonde woman stopped. She slowly turned and looked at the castle on the right. The black haired woman stopped as well and looked at the other woman.

"Is something wrong, Tsunade-sama?" the black haired woman said. The blonde woman, Tsunade, did not reply. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed firmly in front of her. Sensing Tsunade's mood, both the black haired woman and the pig looked in the same direction.

"Something's coming, Shizune," Tsunade finally said. A second later, there was a large explosion surrounding the entire castle and its grounds. A very large snake appeared from the smoke and dust, hissing menacingly. Tsunade stood her ground, calmly looking at what was going on. The pig squealed and hid behind the Shizune's legs.

"It's alright, Tonton," Shizune said to the pig comfortingly, but her entire body was tensed and ready for combat. She did not like the feeling of the chakra radiating from the snake. As she looked, she spotted two figures on top of the snake's head. She looked closer and gasped. She looked at Tsunade, and then back up at the snake.

"Isn't that…" Shizune said, the shock evident in her voice.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Orochimaru!"

On top of the snake, Orochimaru's bowed head slowly rose until he was looking straight into Tsunade's eyes. He smiled. "I've found you," he said.

XXX

"Come on, kid, there's no time to be laid back!" Jiraiya suddenly shouted as he stood up. Naruto looked up at him questioningly.

"It's time for you to move onto the second stage of your training," Jiraiya explained. "The first step in the first stage was figuring out how to move the water inside the balloon so as to burst it. The second step was figuring out how to move the water inside the ball so as to burst it. You jumped from the second step of the first stage and onto the only step of the third stage." Naruto listened intently, wondering what he was going to have to do in the second stage. Jiraiya took out one of "_Jin's Balloons!_" and blew into it until it was the size of a large orange.

"The second stage is the same as the first stage," Jiraiya continued. You have to burst a balloon and a ball, just like you did in the first stage." Naruto couldn't help but feel put out. He had felt the power of the Rasengan, the jutsu he was working toward. Surely there was no need to do the same thing again? He had already shown that he could do it. But Ero-Sennin had proven to be a good teacher, and very smart. He must have his reasons. Naruto decided not to say anything. But something must have shown on his face, because Jiraiya gave a tired sigh.

"I would have thought you had figured it out by now." Jiraiya took a deep breath before continuing. "In the first stage, there was water in the balloon. This was to help refine your chakra control, because you had to use water as the medium through which you burst the balloon. For this move, chakra control is essential. Without it, you cannot master the jutsu. You have now shown that you have the necessary chakra control to master this jutsu." Jiraiya held forth his right hand, in which the balloon was resting on his palm. "The second stage involves you getting used to the conditions that you need to perform the jutsu, namely the shape and power of your chakra." As Jiraiya said this to Naruto, something clicked in the boy's head.

"Because I was using water as my medium, the power of my chakra was … cushioned, is that the right word? It was minimized, to a degree." Jiraiya smiled.

"Exactly! See, I knew you weren't as stupid as you looked." Naruto glared at him at that remark, but Jiraiya ignored him.

"Now, in the second stage, you have to draw on your maximum reserves. It may sound easy, but remember this. You used water to do your bidding. The water was the one that actually caused the balloon to burst. Now you have to do it with simply your chakra, which means until you master this stage, you are always going to feel drained of chakra because you're using more than you are used to. But since this is now a matter of chakra, mostly, this stage should last a lot shorter than the first one. But since you're going to be feeling drained of chakra, you're not going to be much use travelling … so it seems you're gonna have to stay in your little, er, village." Jiraiya put the balloon down and took off the backpack he had been wearing. The top half with filled with more of "_Jin's_ _Balloons_" while the bottom half was filled with rubber balls. Jiraiya reached deep into the backpack and took out a ball before standing up with a ball in one hand and a balloon in the other.

"But remember why we set off from Konoha in the first place. No one knows why we came, which was both for our safety as well as Konoha's. It was actually a blessing in disguise that Itachi and Kisame showed up. People will think whatever we're doing is related to them … Anyways, we're looking for one of the Sannin, Tsunade. She is the mission, she is the priority. I am going to come back at the end of the week. Whether you have mastered the third stage or not by then is your lookout. We will have to leave in search of her."

With that, Jiraiya left, bursting the balloon and the ball so that Naruto could see what was expected and how it was done.

XXX

Naruto smiled as Ero-Sennin made his way into the dense foliage. He looked around him, at all the working shadow clones. A smile came to his lips. He formed a familiar seal.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Naruto felt the strain of the jutsu, seeing as he already had five hundred shadow clones. He could not help but notice that he had only managed to make two shadow clones. Well, he would have to work with whatever was there. The shadow clones did not have to be told what to do. They went to the basket and took a balloon each. All three Narutos blew air into their balloons and set to work. For five hours straight, they tried to burst the balloon. It was one of the shadow clones who finally managed to do it. Naruto looked at the clone with an unpleasant expression.

"Yes, I did it!" the clone shouted. The next second, a soft pop was heard as the clone exploded, dispelled by Naruto. Naruto smiled deviously.

"That ought to teach you who's boss around here." His laugh was cut short, however, as his mind seemed to suddenly seize up. Images, feelings, thoughts, and experiences flashed through his mind. It only took a fraction of a second, but he suddenly knew more than he did before. He looked at the other clone and dispelled it too, experimenting. The same things happened.

_How have I not noticed this before?_ Naruto had always know that the **Kage Bunshin** was a perfect move to be used to spying, seeing as the thoughts of the shadow clone could be transferred back to the user, who was safely away. He had done the same thing during the Chunin Exams, and during some of his major fights. The **Kage Bunshin** was Naruto's number one jutsu. But … to be able to use the **Kage** **Bunshin** to train? … But, why not? Since everything the **Kage Bunshin** experienced was transferred back to the original, a shadow clone could do something, accomplish it, and he would know how to do it, since, in theory, it would have been Naruto who would have done the accomplishment, and therefore doing it again would simply be a matter of remembering how to do it, like riding a bicycle. And since he gained knowledge and experience, his skills would be a lot sharper because he would have double the knowledge and experience. Very slowly, a smile crept onto Naruto's face. How come he hadn't discovered this before. He could have had loads of training done this way! His ears had a distant clang of swords, and a thought flashed across his mind. He looked up at the all the shadow clones training, seen and unseen. His face paled. He had created five hundred shadow clones, divided them into five groups of one hundred shadow clones each. He had not dispelled them for three weeks. Of course he had expected some form of knowledge from them since that was one of their benefits, but now, for the first time, it hit him that he would have nearly four weeks, a month, of knowledge and experience the moment he dispelled them.

"No," he said decisively, turning away from them. He had training to get through. He would deal with them when the time came. He concentrated, and this time made three shadow clones. They took a balloon. He had managed to pop it, but it had taken too long. He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of it yet. He needed to keep on practicing.

XXX

It took him two days before he finally got bursting the balloons down to an art, which was just as well because, with shadow clones helping him, his supply had dwindled down considerably until only a handful were left. He smirked appreciatively. Of course he'd done it. Uzumaki Naruto never gave up. And with his new training method, it was a given. Naruto took a deep breath, not bothering to hide his grimace. Ero-Sennin had been right. Going from the medium of water to nothing had been a sudden change, and Naruto was not used to the pouring out so much chakra in a move. But he had adapted. He stood up from his short rest and looked at the ball in his hand. It was flaccid, a hole in its side. He had thought that all he would need was increase the power, but all that did was increase the pressure on one spot until a hole appeared. He threw the ball aside. He formed a hand seal and called forth four shadow clones. This wasn't the time to be lazing about. Ero-Sennin would be back tomorrow, and if he wanted to progress to the third stage, he would have to master this stage.

For a second, an image of a passed through his head. It was of him, with two long red ears made of chakra, and a long red tail, also made of chakra. His entire body was encased with a shell of red chakra. The faint whisker lines on his face had broadened into thick black whiskers. His eyes were red, with the same slit pupils he now had at all times in his normal blue eyes, and his teeth had grown longer and sharper, especially his canines. This was the image implanted into his head the moment he had dispelled a shadow clone what seemed so long ago, when he had gone and confronted those four defected Konoha shinobi. It was the day he had been part of a team bringing back Hiarashi from her grandfather's palace, the palace of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. It was the day Hinata had been kidnapped. Naruto looked down, remembering why he had agreed to go on this trip. This woman, Tsunade, could heal Hinata, and now, it seemed, she would be needed to heal Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei.

"No," Naruto said forcefully. "I will not rely on you, Kyuubi!" Naruto closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He would not let his frustration get the better of him. He opened his eyes and looked at the shadow clones. They got the message and got to work.

_No,_ Naruto thought, _I will not rely on you, Kyuubi, and I will not forget why I came. I will master this if it means I will get stronger and protect all those precious to me._

XXX

"Come back soon, Jiraiya-sama!"

"Yosh! You can count of it!"

Jiraiya waved at the three young and attractive girls before setting down the road, a spring in his step. As he got further down the street, his good mood slowly faded and he began to think.

_Tsunade is definitely in the next town. But she's not known for her patience. I can't let this chance pass by. I'm going to have to go get Naruto tonight. He's going to be pissed off, but there's no helping that._

With that in mind, Jiraiya's form stretched and blurred, and a moment later he vanished from the street.

Jiraiya spent an hour running towards Naruto's location. As he did so, his mind flashed through some of the problems that had been bothering him.

_According to the information Naruto got from the Council, Sarutobi-sensei was killed by Orochimaru … but Sarutobi-sensei somehow managed to seal away Orochimaru's arms, causing necrosis. That would explain why my contacts have had nothing to report on him and Otogakure. And if the necrosis was curable by any normal means, that gifted medic of Orochimaru's, Yakushi Kabuto, would have done so by now. But still, I know my old friend. He dislikes inaction, and would seek a way out of it, even in his condition. But still, he will have to heal his arms soon, or else someone is going to decide to take advantage of this obvious inaction and attack either Orochimaru or Otogakure. Orochimaru is no fool, he knows this. He will have a plan. But what could it be?_

Jiraiya landed on the ground without a sound. He was near enough to walk the rest of the way at any rate.

_Akatsuki has been behaving strangely also. While all the other members seem to be permanently lying low, Itachi and Kisame have been strangely active. What could that signify. I know they have orders to capture Naruto, but if my informant is correct, then those orders do not have to take effect for a few more years. Could there have been some other motive for those two to move so openly? That thought is … frightening. The leader of Akatsuki has to be very strong to be able to keep all those S-Class criminals in check, and yet if Itachi has an ulterior motive, and feels confident enough to go against Akatsuki… Of course, it doesn't help that I only know the identity of four of the fifteen Akatsuki members; Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori of the Red Sands. Orochimaru used to be a member, but I doubt if he's willing to have a nice informative talk with me._

Jiraiya heard a loud boom in front of him, accompanied by four consecutive pops. He was near Naruto.

… _And finally, Naruto. Ever since I showed him how to access the Kyuubi's chakra, he has used it too frequently for my liking. And I don't like the sound of that report of Hiarashi's retrieval for the village. Naruto actually accessed the power of one of the Kyuubi's tail, of his own will. With the amount of increasing dangers surrounding him, it won't be long before a situation arises where he taps into more power than he can handle and loses himself to the Kyuubi. He has to be taken away for private tutoring until he can master himself, and the Kyuubi's chakra, or else he will be a danger. Unfortunately, I can't take him on, and neither can Kakashi. Iruka will be too busy, seeing as the village needs all available shinobi to sustain its reputation and not show any weaknesses. No Konoha shinobi can do, for the same reason. I guess I will have to trust him in the hands of Chiriku and__** Hi**__**no**__**Tera**_,_ the Temple of Fire, and especially you, Yonbi-sama, to oversee Naruto's training and make sure he's safe from any outside threats._

Jiraiya groaned as more thoughts fought inside his head, but he ignored them. At fifty, he was too old for this. Another decade or two and he would retire somewhere far away and concentrate on his books. He emerged into the clearing in time to see a beaten up Naruto slowly stand up. He saw pieces of plastic on the ground, and knew Naruto had managed to burst the balloons. He also saw several balls with holes in them, and closer to Naruto, several more pieces, but these were in fragments of rubber, so he knew Naruto had managed to burst the balls. He saw Naruto pick up the last ball from the backpack. He stood half covered in shadow, wanting to see with his own eyes how far Naruto had come.

Naruto looked at the ball in his left hand. He took three deep breaths before looking at the ball intently. An image was fixed in his mind; the Hidden Leaf symbol. Finally, he had been able to summon the concentration and power required for this move. But this was the final test. Naruto knew that there were tenketsu in his hands, specifically one at the tip of each finger and directly in the centre of his palm. He did not have to see them. He knew their location, and he focused on pouring chakra from this one point in his body. He concentrated in them, pouring a stream of concentrated chakra through each of these tenketsu, spinning it clockwise as he did so. In a second, the output of chakra trebled, and in the next second it trebled again. There was now a vortex of spinning chakra in the ball. In the next second, humps formed on the entire surface of the ball. In the next second, the humps became longer and more pronounced. There was a rush of air and light as cracks appeared on the ball.

Boom! The ball blew into minute pieces and Naruto was thrown back by the force of the compressed chakra releasing. He gasped in shock, and then uttered a groan as he hit the ground, hard. And he kept on going … and going … and going. Jiraiya stepped out of the shadows and knelt down. Naruto kept on moving backwards on the ground, cleaving a small but visible trough in the hard ground. Jiraiya held forward his right hand, palm open. He stopped Naruto from going any further without any effort. He looked down at Naruto's left hand, which bore severe chakra burn wounds.

_What a guy. He gathered enough chakra to cause such severe wounds. And I hadn't even expected him to get this far, too. So he has finally discovered one of the many uses of the __**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__. But still, to be able to get this far … the chakra control and capacity needed. Heh, guess you were right, Sarutobi-sensei. There is a power a ninja gets from never giving up. I should know, that's how I became one of the Sannin. Seems like you touched many lives, sensei._

Naruto groaned and looked up slowly at Jiraiya, a triumphant foxy smile on his lips, though it was somewhat forced on account of the pain he was in. His mind became hazy. He lost all control. Every one of the five hundred shadow clones was instantly dispelled, after a month. Jiraiya looked at Naruto grimly. It only took a second. Naruto screamed. Jiraiya was slightly shocked. Normally, a person would only expect mental fatigue. But, it seemed, Naruto had overdone it, again. He seemed to be experiencing _everything_ the clones did, and by everything, it included wounds, pain, fatigue, stress, and many other things. Jiraiya couldn't help but gasp as he saw welts begin to slowly appear on Naruto's skin, and Naruto's muscles seemed to be _moving_ under his skin. How could something like this happen? Jiraiya wasted no time. He reached into Naruto's black vest and took a healing scroll, a very rare ninja artifact, made more rare by the fact that it was made by Tsunade. Healing scrolls were difficult to make as they demanded a lot of concentration and chakra. But simply put, a Healing scroll was a scroll containing a medical ninja's chakra filled with healing intent. Jiraiya activated the scroll and placed it on Naruto's chest, channeling chakra through it to keep it active. It took all the considerable amount of Tsunade's amazing healing intent for Naruto to finally stabilize. He looked … different. More defined. There were shadows under his eyes, and his entire body looked incredibly fatigued, but for all that, Naruto seemed to radiate an inner strength. Jiraiya suspected that the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** and its effect were somehow affected by the presence of the Kyuubi, especially seeing as its healing chakra had been used more in the past month than during Naruto's entire life, and it was going to be used some more as Naruto recovered. Jiraiya spared all of this no thought as he lifted Naruto and all his belongings and took them back to his room in the town ahead. As he did so, his thoughts diverted to the sword on Naruto's back. He had been meaning to talk to the boy about that. The sword was useless in most circumstances, which meant Naruto could never utilize its full capabilities. Oh well, since it looked like the boy was going to be out for a while, he might as well take to the time to find a smith and re-forge it. A nice straight bladed katana should do.

XXX

Two of the Sannin faced each other, their attendants dutifully beside them. Wind ruffled all their clothes as the aftermath of the castle's destruction and the snake summon's release took effect. Shizune glanced at Tsunade, who was the picture of calm, and then back at Orochimaru and his attendant. Tonton moved from behind Shizune's legs and came to stand next to the black haired woman. The pig made menacing noises, its entire body tense and trembling. She, too, could sense the twisted chakra coming from Orochimaru.

"It's been a long time, Orochimaru," Tsunade said calmly, still not making any moves, her demeanor very calm.

"I've been looking for you everywhere," Orochimaru said. Being medic ninjas, they could all hear the slightly high and wheezy tone of his voice, but barely, for Orochimaru had learned long ago to hide any signs of weakness.

"What do you want with me? Don't tell me you want to talk about the old times," Tsunade said.

"Well, I have a small request for you," Orochimaru said.

_His heartbeat is quick_, thought Tsunade. _Judging from his face, he has a high fever. He's been fatigued for quite some time. Also, his arms …_ There was something wrong with Orochimaru's arms, Tsunade could tell, even though, or especially since, they were so heavily bandaged from fingertips to shoulders.

"Tsunade-sama," Orochimaru's attendant spoke for the first time. Tsunade did not even look at him, but Shizune took a few seconds to evaluate him. "You should have already guessed by now…"

"Ask someone else," Tsunade said firmly. "I quit medicine a long time ago."

"We can't do that," the attendant said. "You should be able to tell how serious the wound is. No one else can sure these arms. The Legendary Sannin who won her fame as the medical specialist, Tsunade-hime, only you can sure this." Tsunade completely ignored him. She did not even give a sign that she had heard him. She did not have the time. The Snake Sannin and The Slug Princess, two of the Sannin, were busy staring each other down, evaluating each other after so many years apart. Tsunade's eyes had gained a hard edge from their normal impassive expression. Orochimaru had the same amused smile on his lips, his white teeth showing.

"The wound affecting your arms isn't an ordinary one, is it?" Tsunade addressed Orochimaru. Orochimaru, for an instant, truly felt how weakened he was. He tried to move his fingers, but they only trembled pathetically. After a second, he stopped. It would not do to show that he felt weak.

_Is it some sort of special curse technique?_ Tsunade wondered. Aloud, she asked, "What did you do?"

"Nothing much," Orochimaru said, the fatigue in his voice more detectable. "I got wounded when I killed the Third." For the first time, Tsunade's emotional armour cracked and she gasped as her eyes widened in shock and surprise. Shizune was no better as she heard Orochimaru as well. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"You … Did you really…" The familiar haughty expression she remembered so well came onto Orochimaru's face.

"You don't need to look so scary," he said. "All things with form eventually perish. That goes for people, too. You should know what I'm talking about … since you let two of your loved ones die." Shizune's eyes widened further. She looked at Tsunade, her eyes filled with sympathy. Tsunade closed her eyes and looked down. Had this bastard chosen to find her today, of all days? It would be so like him, twisted as he was. But still, she could not block the memories that wafted into her mind, as fresh as they had been years ago. Her face started twitching as the images came into her mind. She opened her eyes to rid herself of them and looked at Orochimaru, the anger evident in her brown eyes.

_Two loved one?_ Kabuto thought. His eyes turned toward Orochimaru. Understanding flooded his mind, and he turned his eyes back to Tsunade. _I see … He had conjured up a terrible plan._

Shizune's eyes went back to Tsunade, looking for any indicator as to what her master would do. She heard Orochimaru chuckle in that cold, mocking tone of his she remembered so well.

"Yes," Orochimaru said. "Their deaths were gruesome." Shizune decided she had had enough. She, too, had suffered, and she's be damned if she let Orochimaru get away with this insult. She attacked.

"Scum!" she shouted. She jumped in front of Tsunade and pulled back the sleeve of her dress on her right arm. She revealed a mechanism on her forearm. She pulled the strings attached to the tubes on the mechanism. There were loud twanging noises as silver glinting projectiles flew straight for Orochimaru. Kabuto jumped in front of his master with a curved kunai in his right hand. He blocked all the projectiles, needles, with quick moves, but he wasn't fast enough to block them all. He saw one coming for his face, but was able to grab a hold of it at the last second with his left hand. He looked at the needle in his hand. There was a cream coloured liquid dripping off the tip.

_Poison… A Hidden Weapon, I see_, he thought. Shizune bent low before lunging forward, her right hand disappearing in the folds of her dress.

_She's fast!_ Kabuto thought as he saw her twist left and right, trying to confuse him.

"Get out of the way!" she shouted, pulling something from her dress.

"I won't let you!" Kabuto shouted bending his knees a little, preparing to defend himself and Orochimaru. As she got near, he slashed with his curved kunai. Shizune saw through his attack instantly, however, and got her weapon through his guard and toward his neck.

"Calm down, Shizune," Tsunade suddenly said. Shizune stopped her attack moments before her weapon, a scalpel, punctured Orochimaru's attendant's neck. She was breathing heavily, not from the attack, but from her pent up emotions. Kabuto looked down at Tsunade's attendant, his face tilted slightly upwards. While her scalpel was mere centimeters from his neck, his kunai was quite a few inches away. If Tsunade had not stopped her, he had no doubt he would have been grievously wounded.

_This attendant is good_, he thought, his eyes narrowing. Shizune didn't take her eyes of Kabuto as she jumped back. A smile slowly graced Tsunade's face.

"You have always been like this, Orochimaru," she said, her voice calm and friendly. "Even back in the old days. You know what my personality is like, right? Please stop joking around." Orochimaru's smile did not falter, but his eyes instantly became more watchful. Kabuto kept his ready stance, kunai in hand. Lines of anger appeared around Tsunade's eyes. She suddenly struck out, her movements fast, faster than Shizune. Her fist came crashing into the wall behind her. Cracks spread from the depression her fist made, and in another second a whole section of the wall crumbled to bits of rubble and dust. Tsunade looked back up, her eyes completely ignoring Kabuto, straight at Orochimaru.

_She's strong_, Kabuto thought, _and scary. I bet she's single._

"We did not come to fight," Kabuto said. "We came to negotiate."

"Negotiate?" Tsunade said, still not taking her eyes off Orochimaru.

"Yes," affirmed Kabuto.

"Don't make me laugh!" Tsunade said. "I told you before," she continued, standing back up straight, "get out of my sight."

"We can't do that," Kabuto said, standing up straight and holding out his arms in a gesture of friendliness.

"Get lost."

"Only you can sure Orochimaru-sama's arms," Kabuto said with a hint of desperation.

"Get lost."

"We're not asking that you do it for free. We will make a trade."

"I'm going to count to five. Get lost before I get before I'm done. Otherwise, I'll get rid of you."

"Please, calm down," Kabuto begged patiently. This isn't a bad deal for you."

"Five." Kabuto gave a little gasp of frustration.

"Four." His face gained a pained acceptance.

"Three." Kabuto sighed and closed his eyes. Orochimaru's face tilted slightly as he looked into Tsunade's eyes.

"Two." Shizune drew her left hand in front of her, and all knew another brace was on her forearm, undoubtedly filled with needles dipped in poison.

"One." Tsunade made to jump forward, and Kabuto instantly spread his legs, ready to defend his master.

"I'll revive your beloved little brother and man," Orochimaru suddenly said, "with the forbidden technique I developed." Tsunade and Shizune stopped unbelievingly, gasping, while Kabuto smirked triumphantly.

The same self-satisfied smile cam to Orochimaru's lips. "You haven't gotten rid of us, which means … you're thinking it over?"

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru. "If I do manage to heal your arms, what do you intend to do afterwards?"

"You know me, Tsunade. I hate to leave a job half finished. When you heal my arms, I intend to succeed this time around, and crush Konoha for sure!"

XXX

"Come on, let's go!" Silence. Absolute silence. A few birds twittered in the distance. Jiraiya stood in a pose, pointing forward.

"Don't shout "Let's go" like that, acting like a child," Naruto muttered.

"Eh?" Jiraiya said, looking back at Naruto. "You seem to be in a bad mood."

"That's because you messed around with my sword while I was unconscious!"

"That was for the best, and you know it," pointed out Jiraiya. "You are more skilled with katana than with jian type swords." He gestured to the katana with the grey hilt and scaled blue sheath at Naruto's back.

"And then you got rid of the clothes old man Hokage got me for the Chunin Exams!"

"They were in terrible shape after a month of hard training," Jiraiya pointed out again. "You looked like a beggar more than a ninja. Besides, I put them away somewhere safe so you could remember Sarutobi-sensei by. And those clothes suit you better. You don't look like pathetic copy on Kakashi anymore." Naruto huffed. He looked down at his new clothes. He wore blue _zori_, or ninja sandals, green trousers, a large light blue/grey cotton jumper, and a blue polo neck t-shirt underneath. He had to admit they made him feel free when he moved. It would be easier to fight in these clothes. And the black vest had been feeling constricting somewhat. But he'd be damned if he told Ero-Sennin that. He'd been feeling so alive ever since he woke up last night. He felt … more complete. His senses were sharper, detecting things he wouldn't have been able to before. He was surprised, and more than shocked, to find out that his pupils seemed to have permanently taken on the slit like appearance they usually did when he called upon the Kyuubi's chakra, though he was thankful his eyes remained blue. His body also felt stronger, but he hadn't as yet tested out how much it had actually changed. His mind also felt much sharper, more clear.

"And," Naruto said his final argument, "I completed the first two stages of my training, we're supposed to be on the third, but you're not training me at all!" Jiraiya smiled.

"That's because we can do the third and final stage while we're walking!" Naruto smiled. Finally, his goal was within reach. Jiraiya took out a balloon, and Naruto nearly had a heart attack. After a month, he hated the very sight of them. But he kept patient and watched as Ero-Sennin blew into the balloon, threw it at him, which he pocketed, and then blew into another one and held it in his right hand. Naruto waited patiently for a few minutes, but finally he gave up. What the heck was the pervert up to now?

"Nothing's happening!" Naruto shouted. Jiraiya smirked. He held forth his left hand. Naruto's eyes widened as chakra gathered into the palm.

"This is what's happening inside the balloon."

_Wow,_ Naruto thought. _He's gathered so much chakra, and it's rotation is getting faster, but it's still keeping a perfect spherical shape. And that's happening inside the balloon, and it's not even moving at all … wow._

"You combine what you learned in stage two. One hundred percent rotation and one hundred percent power, and maintain them. You do this by projecting an image of a shell inside the balloon, and then another image of you compressing chakra into the shell."

_Of course, maximum power combined with maximum compression makes for maximum boom._

"But what if I don't do that?" Naruto asked out loud. Jiraiya smiled again and threw the balloon at Naruto before dispersing the jutsu in his left hand. He went to a nearby tree and stood before it, legs spread.

"If you only use the second stage, this is what happens." Chakra began forming in Jiraiya's right palm, and Jiraiya thrust it into the tree. There was an explosion and after the smoke cleared, Naruto saw the jutsu had destroyed the tree's inch thick bark. There were circles in the area the jutsu affected, which was about a foot radius.

"If you master the third stage, however, this is what happens." Chakra gathered once again in his palm, but this time he waited a few seconds. Once a perfect sphere was formed, Jiraiya thrust at the tree. There was a flash of light, and Naruto had to shield his eyes. The flash died slowly, and when Naruto looked, the sphere was still there, corroding away at the tree. Just before Jiraiya cut through more than half, the ball slowly dissipated. Naruto was pretty sure Jiraiya could have destroyed the tree if he'd wanted to.

"Now, you try." Naruto nodded and formed a focus sign with his left hand while the balloon was in his right hand. He focused on making a chakra shell, and then poured chakra into it. The balloon burst in two seconds flat, reduced to nothing more than pieces no bigger than a mosquito. Naruto stared, shocked. He took out the other balloon from his pocket and examined it closely. This was an ordinary balloon, not like "_Jin's Balloons"_ meant for ninja children who played slightly rougher than normal children. He had been practicing with a tougher balloon, and now he had to work with a fragile thing such as this. Understanding flooded him, and his hands trembled slightly.

_To do this jutsu, I have to be able to control one hundred percent of my chakra! So that's why he gave me hard material to work with in the beginning. It was so that when I reached this final stage, I would have to learn to completely learn my chakra control, or else there's no way I could do this jutsu. Now I see … Hiarashi, you're a true genius, to be able to learn this jutsu so perfectly at a younger age than I. But I won't lose to you, Hiarashi._

Jiraiya smirked. "This is a powerful super A-rank jutsu. Don't expect to master it anytime soon. It's different from any other jutsu you've learned so far, even the A-rank ones like the **Chisemi** and the **Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi** **Shibari**. It's in a whole league of its own." Naruto looked down at the balloon in determination. Then a thought came to him.

"You haven't mentioned the first stage," he asked, curious.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Jiraiya brushed his hands off. "That's simple, really. There never was a stage one. I made it up."

"WHAT!?"

"I made it up. In the actual training, there are three steps; bursting the balloon, bursting the ball, and finally what you're attempting now, combining and maintaining the first two steps. I only made one this whole "stages" business because your chakra control and chakra gathering sucked too bad for you to learn this jutsu properly. But you gotta admit, I'm pretty cool to come up with something like that on my feet."

"You mean I went through all that for nothing!"

"Hey, it helped, didn't it?"

"Wait till I finish this stage. I'm going to smash the **Rasengan** into the perverted head of yours!" Something in the blond's voice told Jiraiya Naruto wasn't joking, so he beat a hasty retreat before the situation could escalate. Wrong move. Naruto waved a fist at the rapidly disappearing pervert in fury.

"EROSENNIN!"

XXX

**By the way, check my profile because I'm going to start putting links to images of my fanfiction. Hope you liked it.**


	24. Volume 1: Lady Tsunade

Pop!

"Damn it!"

Naruto looked at the shreds of the balloon still in his hand. He growled in frustration. He still could not maintain the constant rotation and power inside the balloon. He swallowed his impatience with visible effort. He never did like it when things went slow. The heat of the moment was more his game. But he had been taught against that philosophy, so he would adhere to those teachings. Besides, Ero-Sennin had said not to expect to master this stage anytime soon. So, naturally, he would prove the Hermit wrong, just like anyone else who doubted him. And, for once, pure strength wouldn't win him anything. He had to remain calm and rational, or else he could say goodbye to learning such a great jutsu as the **Rasengan**. Naruto looked up and forward, unconsciously brushing the balloon pieces from his right hand.

He was in an alley. Despite the orange glow of the setting sun, the alley was very dark. There was a constant stench lingering in the air, a mixture of filth, decaying food, dead rodents, and the general unsanitary conditions to be found in such lower class areas of any metropolis. Even in the darkness, Naruto's enhanced vision could easily pick out the decaying litter from the dead rats, and his now very sensitive nose didn't make it any easier. If it had been up to him, he would have chosen a much more … healthier environment. But it wasn't up to him. Ero-Sennin needed him out of the way and somewhere unobtrusive and secluded where he would attract the least attention and cause the least trouble. Naruto understood the logic behind the decision perfectly. That didn't mean he had to like it, of course.

Five shadow clones were busy in the dark alley, trying to find a way to speed up Naruto's mastery of this stage. The key to the third stage was to make a chakra shell with which to contain his chakra in. Since he already had enough mastery of his chakra, thanks to his immense shadow clone training in the forest, which left him feeling stronger, and Ero-Sennin's water balloon training, he only needed to learn how to make the chakra shell strong enough to maintain his power. After that, it would only be a matter of combining the two sets of knowledge, which would be a hell of a lot easier than doing this the old fashioned way. Naruto unconsciously started to gather chakra in his right hand. That action, gathering chakra, like so many things, had become much easier, almost to the point where Naruto could term them innate. Gathering so much swirling chakra in his hand in an instant proved no difficulty for him, even though he had only been training for a month. After a second, Naruto dispersed the chakra. It would be pointless to continue. He knew he couldn't do the jutsu just yet.

Naruto did not need to look to know that his shadow clones were not making much progress. The chakra shell had to be thick enough to contain chakra, but composing chakra in such a way was not easy at the best of time. Naruto had to actually turn his chakra from a stream into a spherical solid, something he had never even imagined possible, at least, not without hand signs. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try. Already he, or rather the shadow clones, had figured out how to finally make a chakra shell. All that remained was to make it stronger. But the end result was always massive chakra depletion and no thick chakra shell. He still needed to learn to control his chakra in this new and strange way. But Naruto was no slacker, and he would never give up. This was just another challenge.

Naruto reached behind and held something. For a second it looked like he was holding air, but then there was a shimmer, and in the next second, Naruto's hand was holding the hilt of a sheathed katana. Naruto's hand travelled lower down until it was holding the crossguard, and with a little effort, Naruto pulled off the sword from his back. He placed it in his lap and properly looked at it for the first time. He still preferred his old Jian type blade, but he ha to admit that this type held a certain appeal. He couldn't believe it when Ero-Sennin had his sword re-forged. A swordsman and his sword were inseparable, they were one. That was the way it had become with him and his sword. Strangely enough though, unlike other swordsmen, he had not named his blade. He did not see any reason to. But he had felt a reason to rebel for what Ero-Sennin had done, so after a hard day of travelling yesterday, the day they had set out, he had changed the colour of the _tsuka_, the hilt, the handle of the katana. Instead of the grey design, which he removed, he had put on a crimson red design. It appealed to him, seeing as the scaled sheath was sapphire blue in colour. The sword, he thought – like any other swordsman would think – symbolized him, Naruto, the Demon Container. The sapphire blue sheath represented him, Naruto, the sheath that guarded, and protected, the weapon within at the same time. The crimson red tsuka represented the Demon, Kyuubi no Yoko, a weapon of great power that stretched from the visible red hilt – the demon chakra Naruto could often call upon – into the unknown depths of the sheath, where much more power resided, chained and controlled from causing harm. Naruto sighed and placed the katana back on his back. He felt the blue scales sticking to his back and a moment later, the katana going invisible.

Naruto took a deep breath. Freedom. Not until he had left with Ero-Sennin, he had not realized just how much being in Konoha restricted him. True, his personality had changed from the hard, militaristic shinobi he had been trained to be, but only slightly, but still, being in Konoha, surrounded by people who had some sort of grudge against him, in one form or another, had made him very wary. But out here, where people did not know who he was, only that he was a shinobi, life proved much more bearable. Naruto suddenly blinked. The shadow clones had finally done it, hard as it may have seemed. They had managed to figure out how to create a chakra shell. Naruto ignored the white smoke of the dispelled shadow clones as his mind unraveled what the shadow clones had learnt. Ah, so that's how it was done. Now all that was left was to combine these two sets of knowledge, and he'd be one step closer to mastering the **Rasengan**!

His musings were disrupted by a loud bang. He stood his whole body tense and alert. It felt like a slumbering beast suddenly come awake, ready to move. After a second of silence, he rushed out of the alley, his hands trailing behind him, his left hand a few centimeters from his weapons pouch. He rounded the corner and screeched to a halt. Two women were standing in the middle of the road. They were young, very beautiful, and apparently very dangerous. In front of the blonde woman was a long trough formed when she had apparently struck a man. The tough was deep and ten feet long. The black haired woman looked slightly worried, but as Naruto assessed the situation, he guessed that she wasn't worried about herself, but at the three thugs that were advancing on the two of them. Naruto watched, sticking to the wall so as not to attract attention. The man who had been hit slowly got up from the pit, his suit still somehow immaculately white.

"You're going to regret that," he growled. He clicked his fingers. The thugs advanced. A second later, they completely stopped and toppled to the ground, unconscious. The women had not moved, or so it seemed. Naruto's eyes narrowed. He had been able to see the movement, but just barely. The people, however, had not seen a thing. The man in white paled whiter than his suit. He turned and fled. The blonde woman sniffed and turned round, dismissing the entire event.

_She's fast, and strong. She's also very scary._

"You can come out. That is hardly an ideal hiding place for a shinobi." Naruto was not surprised he had been spotted. After all, from what he could see, these two women were shinobi, and better than Kakashi at the least. He walked to the centre of the street and faced the two women. The black haired one had a desperate look in her eyes. Naruto ignored it. He looked at the two impassively.

"A Konoha ninja?" the blonde said with a raised eyebrow as she took in his hitai-ate. Naruto got lower, ready for anything. Something about these women struck a chord in his mind, but he had no time to figure it out.

"Yes," he replied. "And who would you be?" The blonde woman huffed and glared at him.

"I don't answer to midgets like you," she said. Naruto controlled his anger. He always hated being called a midget. Instead, he took a deep breath and relaxed his body. These people were dangerous. He knew the only thing on his side was surprise, which was if he attacked first. They would never expect that. He brought his hands together.

The two women started. _His hand seals … so fast! He is no ordinary genin._ Shizune was a bit edgy now. This kid was good, no doubt, but he was preparing to attack one of the Sannin, and her, a Jonin level shinobi who was an excellent medic Nin. He stood no chance. But before she could say anything, the boy was suddenly swallowed up by the earth.

"Huh?" Tsunade said. "Now where did that little runt hide?" She was already in a bad temper, and now this little kid though he could challenge her, keeping her away from her sake. She suddenly jumped to the right as a shuriken came her, and then to the left, and the forwards. He arms suddenly tightened at her sides as the wire attached to the shuriken was manipulated, the shuriken twirling around her, and she could see that as when they finished revolving, they would slam into her neck. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. Why was he being so persistent? She used her strength and simply pulled the runt from his spot, sending him flying toward her. She cocked a fist. She wouldn't need to use any of her special strength with this runt. But still, she could punch pretty hard. She sent the kid flying over ten feet. But she was surprised when the kid suddenly burst into a puff of smoke.

"**Kage Bunshin**?" both ladies said at the same time. That was a Jonin level jutsu. The kid suddenly came out of the ground by Tsunade's feet, a kunai in his right hand. He lunged toward Tsunade's throat, but she jumped safely away.

"You're getting annoying," Tsunade said. In a blur, she suddenly appeared in front of Naruto. She put her index finger through the pommel ring of the kunai and slipped it out of Naruto's hand. She twirled it and slashed upwards, removing Naruto's hitai-ate. As the headband flew off, she threw the kunai after the headband. Finally, she flicked at Naruto's forehead.

_A finger-flick?_ Naruto wondered as he saw the flick coming, but was too slow to do anything about it. As the finger hit, Naruto flew fifty feet. He crashed into the ground and all the air was knocked out of his lungs. _She's strong!_ Naruto swore as he quickly got up. Tsunade appeared in front of Naruto.

"I've got you," she said. She was going to finish up this kid fast. Her sake was already getting cold. Naruto looked straight into her eyes and smiled.

"The first attack is always a feint," he said. Tsunade only had time to be surprised before three blue **Dragon Flames** flew straight at her from three different directions. She jumped into the air, but straight into a trap, for a fourth fireball raced up toward her from the ground as the Naruto she had finger-flicked performed another **Ryuka no jutsu**. Tsunade cursed, but she saw an opening and took it, going through to of the dragon flames and performing a much reduced version of her **Painful Sky Leg** technique. The ground shattered and all four Narutos landed in a heap. Three burst into smoke. Tsunade was in a temper now. She leapt toward the last Naruto, but while she was in the air, another Naruto suddenly burst from the ground, a kunai in his hand.

"The first attack is always a feint" he grunted as his hand came toward her throat. Shock was all over her face, and that of Shizune. Another shadow clone? Just how much chakra did this kid have? And he seemed to have mastered their use at such a young age. He had coordinated them perfectly, almost as if he could read their minds, which was impossible surely. Suddenly a mass of black hair appeared in front of Tsunade and a moment later Shizune batted away the kunai and kicked Naruto backwards sending him next to the other Naruto. The other Naruto burst into smoke and the Naruto who had appeared from the ground stood up fully, brushing off dust from his clothes.

"I have only seen three people move like you do," he said, addressing Tsunade, "so I can easily guess who you are."

"Oh yeah?" Tsunade said.

"Yes," Naruto said his face still impassive. "Your taijutsu has some similarities with old man Sarutobi, just like Ero-Sennin and Orochimaru, which would make you the last member of the Sannin, Tsunade-hime, although you look nothing like a great ninja and more like an old lady." Silence. Shizune looked at Tsunade, scared. No one insulted the queen of bad tempers like that. As Tsunade began running at Naruto, there was a blur of red and white, and a moment later Jiraiya appeared in front of Tsunade, a big smile on his face, and a Naruto shadow clones beside him. The clone disappeared.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted. "It's been a long time!"

XXX

The bar was clean and quiet, a place for regulars, which is why the four ninja sat in a corner were getting curious and suspicious looks from the surrounding people. All four ninja, plus the pig, ignored the looks and concentrated on the food in front of them. They ate in silence, eyes constantly on each other. When they finished, Tsunade ordered some sake, much to the protest of her assistant, Shizune.

"So," Tsunade said.

"It's been a long time, Tsunade. How've you been?" Jiraiya said affably, a smile on his face.

"Hm," she replied. Naruto looked at the two of them in close detail. There was something about these two women that smelt … wrong. Suddenly Naruto got it. The setting of his face did not change, nor did his posture, but his eyes got harder. Tsunade noticed it instantly but said nothing.

_What's wrong with you?_ Jiraiya wondered mildly before he turned his attention back to Tsunade.

"What do you want?" Tsunade said to Jiraiya. Jiraiya shook his head sadly.

"It's been decades since we've seen each other and you don't even have time to catch up with old friends?" as he talked, Jiraiya pulled a deck of cards from his jacket. He shuffled them and dished five out to Tsunade and him both.

"What do you want?" Tsunade asked again, picking up her cards.

_Surely you cannot be thinking about Orochimaru's offer,_ Shizune thought in worry. Jiraiya saw the furtive glances Shizune was casting.

_Something is going on,_ he thought, and so did Naruto, but unlike Jiraiya, Naruto was beginning to guess what was wrong with the two kunoichi.

"The Sandaime is dead," Jiraiya began. "Orochimaru killed him." Jiraiya paused for a second for his words to have effect. "Orochimaru, the Sound Village and the Sand Village banded together and attacked Konoha during the Chunin Exams. Konoha managed to win but at a heavy cost. Half the village was destroyed, and shinobi numbers were almost cut in half. With the amount of work still needing to be done repairing the village to full and the amount of missions that need to be completed to keep Konoha on its feet financially as well as retain the village's reputation, Konoha is literally at breaking point." Jiraiya paused again, eyeing his cards carefully before discarding two and picking up two.

"I see," Tsunade said, also discarding two and picking up three. She looked up at Jiraiya. "But what has this got to do with me?" Jiraiya sighed.

"After much consideration, the Council came to the decision that will raise moral, reassure clients and make other nations think twice of attacking Konoha; they want you to be the Fifth Hokage." Silence. Naruto managed to control his visage but inside his emotions were roiling. So this was the person who had been chosen to be the Fifth. Already he was evaluating her, seeing if she was fit for the job. She was a drunk, which didn't raise her high in his regard at all. Unconsciously he found himself comparing her to the Third and the rumours of the Fourth. Could she measure up to that?

"No way," Naruto said suddenly, his right hand thumping the table hardly. He was surprised at his outburst as much as the others'. Jiraiya looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye.

"What?" he asked nonchalantly.

"She can't be the next Hokage. She's just meant to heal Sasuke and Hinata. There's no way she can be the next Hokage. I won't accept it." Naruto looked at the drunken form of Tsunade. The woman did not even look at him but the hard gaze she was giving her cards suggested she wasn't very pleased with what he said.

"That's neither here nor there," Jiraiya said his voice still nonchalant. "This decision has been made by the Council, the highest ruling body in Konoha at the moment and is therefore no matter a simple genin can voice his opinions on." Naruto snorted.

"Since when have the Council have anyone's best interest at heart," he scoffed. But his grumbling was not very loud and he shut up after it. Jiraiya sighed inside but did not deign to respond. Shizune and Tsunade both studied the boy.

"Your apprentice seems to be ruder, stupider and uglier than your last one, Jiraiya," Tsunade commented. Jiraiya snorted as he discarded a few more cards.

"The only thing that's the same between Naruto and the Fourth is their blond hair and blue eyes. It's hard for anyone to beat the Fourth at those fields at any rate. The Fourth was smart, talented at jutsu and popular. He was also handsome, like me. Naruto does not have the Fourth's talent." Naruto did not deign to respond to that. After all, it was true, but it still hurt a little to be talked of that way.

"Who is he?" Tsunade asked.

Feeling the need to introduce his self Naruto said, "My name is Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade made no outward reaction, but she and Shizune had the same thought. _The Kyuubi brat?_ Tsunade snorted after a second.

"So what do you say, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, now once again eyeing his cards as Tsunade was hers. It seemed to take ages for the answer to come, but after a moment Tsunade sighed and put her cards down in defeat.

"No way, not a chance," she said. Jiraiya smiled.

"That's the same thing you said when I asked you to go out with me." That got Naruto's attention. He had an idea by no of how the Perverted Hermit's mind truly worked, despite how he acted. Jiraiya was a genius. He was driven by morals and principles that were now a rare sight to see in today's shinobi. If he had asked Tsunade out, then there must have been something he saw in her. The big boobs were a given answer and it was the answer Naruto readily accepted because at this moment in time he could not see anything else worthy of attention in Tsunade, anything that made her special.

"Being Hokage does not interest me in the least. Despite everything you've said about the Fourth, he still died young. He gave his life up for that village. Life is not like money. It cannot be betted away so easily. Only an idiot bets his life."

Naruto had to fight hard to control his temper. His posture did not change but inside his rage was at an all time high. _An idiot, eh?_ he thought.

"My grandfather and the Second wasted their lives trying to end the war. Sarutobi is the same. If an old man tried to act brave, then of course he'll die."

"You've changed, Tsunade," Jiraiya said, his eyes hard. "I don't know what you've been thinking but you've definitely put it into words." Tsunade shrugged.

"I'm in my fifties despite what I look like. Time changes people, Jiraiya." Tsunade sighed and leaned back against the back wall. "The title Hokage is a piece of crap. Only an idiot would accept it."

If the ninja present hadn't been two of the Sannin and a Jonin level medic ninja, they would have been very impressed and surprised by the speed at which Naruto moved, and hard pressed to react in time, especially seeing as Naruto was barely a metre away from Tsunade. One moment he was sitting beside Jiraiya and the next his katana was drawn and barely an inch from Tsunade's neck. Tsunade made no move whatsoever, instead living it to Jiraiya to discipline his apprentice. Jiraiya held on to Naruto's kimono shirt, holding him back from doing something he might regret. He was surprised by how much strength it required to hold the kid back. A little more push and he would have to use both his hands. The kid had grown strong indeed in the month he had been training.

_Where did that katana come from?_ Shizune wondered. _He seemed to draw it from his back but there was nothing there a few seconds ago. And his speed, it's amazing for a genin. If it was me he was attacking I would have barely been able to react. He definitely had the element of surprise on his side. And he seems very strong if the strain in Jiraiya-sama's arm in anything to go by. And that look in his eye. I have never seen any genin or chunin who can hide his emotions so well and produce such a killer intent. It makes me shiver just to look into those cold blue eyes._

"Let me go, Ero-Sennin," Naruto said quietly, his eyes narrowed and focused on Tsunade. Jiraiya sighed. Now the kid had gone and done it.

"Calm down, Naruto," Jiraiya said. "This is a bar."

"No," Naruto replied simply. "No one disrespects the Fourth and old man Hokage like that and gets away with it. They had morals and principles, and they stuck to them. They didn't give them up at the next junction because it suited them like this person did."

"You're pretty brave to say that to me, kid," Tsunade remarked. Naruto did not reply but stopped struggling and so Jiraiya released him. Naruto stood on the table looking into Tsunade's eyes. He placed the katana onto his back and Shizune watched in awe as the katana stuck there, as blue scales ran along the blade, effectively sheathing it and finally as the sword shimmered and disappeared.

"I don't care who you are but you owe the Fourth and old man Hokage an apology for what you said … or else." It probably sounded ridiculous for a genin to be threatening one of the Sannin but at that moment the killer intent roiling off Naruto had stirred the quiet bar as men looked on at the scene in terror and cut off any feelings of ridicule.

Tsunade had heard enough. She stood on her chair and smirked at Naruto, her face an inch from his. "You and me brat, outside, right now."

XXX

"I was one of the Sannin, kid, despite what I look like."

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune said as she tried to convince her mistress from fighting this little genin. Tsunade ignored her and raised a finger. Jiraiya and Naruto looked at it in surprise.

"A K.O. notice?" Jiraiya said.

"This doesn't mean one minute," Tsunade explained. "It means one finger. This will do against a little genin like you." Naruto's gaze hardened as he crouched lower.

"You're going to regret that," he said quietly but they all heard him.

Naruto formed several hand seals, his face deadest. He realized that he was fighting one of the Sannin and he would have to give his all. Tsunade blinked, Shizune's jaw dropped and even Jiraiya was slightly surprised. Jiraiya smiled. So the idiot hadn't been idle in his training. No genin had such seal speed, only Jonin. In a second and in quick succession Naruto summoned ten shadow clones which covered his other move as he was swallowed up by the ground by his **Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique**. Jiraiya and Shizune, because of their lateral view point, saw how Naruto used his shadow clones to cover his escape underground.

_He's smart_, Shizune thought.

Nine shadow clones charged, one staying behind to watch. The strategy was readily realized by Jiraiya and Shizune. Tsunade had no idea that Naruto was underground and therefore would think that the shadow clone staying still was the real Naruto. Very smart. The shadow clones pulled out kunai as they nearer to Tsunade and threw them. With her finger Tsunade casually hit them off course. The shadow clones used this opening and three jumped forward and formed fast seals. They performed the **Katon: Kasumi Enbu no jutsu**, or the **Fire Release: Covering Mist Technique**. Their chests swelled and they released a highly flammable spray of gas that completely covered Tsunade. In the same instant the other six shadow clones threw kunai that had exploding tags wrapped around their hilts. The Fire jutsu and the kunai came into proximity to Tsunade at the same time and so Tsunade was only visible for a fraction of a second before the six shadow clones activated the exploding tags and the Fire jutsu was ignited, blowing a big hole in the ground, destroying the three shadow clones upfront and anyone inside the blast radius. When the smoke and dust cleared, Tsunade was standing just at the end of the blast radius, her finger still pointed and she completely unharmed. The last shadow clone's gaze sharpened. This woman was fast.

Five shadow clones rushed Tsunade, kunai in hand. But as the got near her, Tsunade flicked her wrist and arm left, right and centre and destroyed them all in two seconds. But suddenly Tsunade felt a large spike in the kid's chakra. As the smoke from the last destroyed shadow clone cleared she saw the sixth shadow clone rushing at her with incredible speed, faster than any genin had any right to move at. But it wasn't his speed that caught her. It was the large black orb with crackling light green chakra in the shadow clone's right hand.

_No way_, she thought. _It can't be. That's Sakumo's jutsu. This boy can't have known of or mastered the __**Chisemi**__…_ But Naruto had learned and mastered the supposedly dead Hatake Sakumo's jutsu and now one of his shadow clones was running fast toward Tsunade with it in hand. Tsunade overcame her surprise and stepped to the right. The shadow clone had jumped into the air and had now pummeled its **Chisemi** into the ground. A large explosion of dirt and a big hole were created and the shadow clone was destroyed. Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she looked at the crater. This kid, it seemed, was full of surprises.

_It's true what they say, then_, the Naruto shadow clone thought. _Medic ninja have sharp eyes. She saw through my __**Chisemi**__. The __**Chisemi**__ is like the Chidori in everything apart from the type of elemental manipulation. The speed required for the 'thrust' so to speak creates a tunnel vision. Unlike Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei, however, I do not have the Sharingan and therefore I cannot see everything as clearly as they can. If someone sees through my attack I'm done for because I won't have time to react … damn it._

"Two A-rank jutsu, two Jonin jutsu, and a C-rank jutsu, a Chunin jutsu," she said to herself. Again she felt a large spike in chakra and she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed and a little expectant at what the kid was cooking up. She looked up and saw the boy had called up ten shadow clones. The shadow clones started running toward her, but not to attack her she immediately saw. They were going to circle her. Before she could move to do anything she saw a circle of lightning encircle the boy's feet. The boy seemed to become charged somehow for his hair stood on end like he'd been electrocuted. She watched in fascination as the boy formed circular motions with his arms in the air.

_A Raiton jutsu this time?_ she wondered. The boy definitely seemed to be full of surprises. As the shadow clones started to encircle her Naruto gave her no time to think about them as he suddenly opened his eyes, which seemed to be glowing blue. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. But her indifference disappeared as Naruto shot a lance of lightning straight at her. she leaned to the left to avoid it. behind her the bolt of lightning continued on until it hit a wall, which it demolished. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. This jutsu was powerful also, possibly B-rank, and yet she had never heard or seen it before. What was it? she tried to rush forward to stop the kid from shooting any more lightning bolts at her but every time she even moved, the kid knew where she was and where she was going and was able to stop her fro moving forwards. How? She looked closely at his glowing blue eyes and her sharp eyes caught a film of cloudy white. He was blind! This jutsu, with so much chakra and electricity needed, blinding the user! So how was he able to know where she was? Maybe he had sharp senses. Someone who used this jutsu needed sharp senses of hearing and smell to stay safe, but her long earned experience and instinct said otherwise. She looked round her and saw ten exact copies of the kid, dressed as he was in the blue kimono shirt and the green trousers. An answer hit her, but it was too preposterous to even bear to think about. Was the kid actually using these shadow clone's eyes in addition to his own? Impossible. She knew of the powers of the **Kage Bunshin no jutsu**. She had never heard of it being used like this. And yet as she experimented by moving left and right, Naruto shot lightning at her. so that was his game, eh? However, before she could take out the shadow clones, Naruto seemed to realize her game and shot a wide beam of electricity at her. She had to jump into the air to dodge it, and that was when the shadow clones struck. They each took a shuriken from their weapons pouch and threw them at her. She smiled. These would be easy to dodge. However, what happened next she did not foresee. The shadow clones performed another Jonin jutsu.

"**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu**," all the shadow clones intoned. The ten shuriken multiplied into one hundred. Tsunade's eyes widened at this. She had been caught in a trap made by a vertically challenged genin. She could not escape without breaking her promise. With a smoldering glare she used two fingers to use a Substitution jutsu and a log took her place in the shuriken barrage. When she appeared on the ground Naruto was immediately on to her, up close and using all his speed and strength in his taijutsu attacks. She had to give it to the boy; he was a perfect taijutsu user. His movements were fast and economical. But as Naruto spun on his left hell and pulled a kunai from his pouch, Tsunade gained an extra fraction of a second to react and that was enough for the Sannin. She easily dodged under the kunai's arc. Naruto could only watch as she put her finger into the kunai's pommel ring and took it from him. In the same motion she twirled the kunai and hit Naruto's hitai-ate, taking it off and throwing the kunai after it. Naruto was still suspended in space, the Sannin's movements too fast for him. Tsunade brought her right arm up to Naruto's face and flicked him on the forehead. Naruto went flying a hundred feet before he hit the ground, hard. He took his time getting up as the injuries caused to him were severe. His kunai landed in front of him and a moment later so did his hitai-ate. Naruto looked down at the two and then up at Tsunade. He was smiling. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Got you," the shadow clone said. Naruto suddenly burst into smoke and so did the kunai and the hitai-ate. Tsunade was caught in shock. All this time? It had been a shadow clone? So what had happened to the real brat? She felt a presence behind her and a moment later a katana blade rested on her neck.

"I told you," Naruto said. "You would regret your words." Tsunade's face hardened. This had gone on for long enough. It was time to end it. She suddenly burst into smoke and a log replaced her. Naruto's eyes widened. He felt her behind him.

"It's over, brat." She flicked him once more and he was sent flying a hundred feet. He landed in a heap but came back up instantly. He summoned five shadow clones and rushed her. She destroyed the four shadow clones with ease with only her finger. Smoke surrounded her as she flicked the last one, the real Naruto. But that too, turned out to be a shadow clone. Even as it was destroyed it was smiling. Tsunade gritted her teeth. The smoke was slowly clearing and she could see the slightly panting form of the real Naruto. Tsunade smirked.

"Well done kid. You actually lasted more than a few seconds. Now before I finish you off, tell me, why is the title of Hokage so important to you? You seem to value it highly, an idiot's mistake." Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"It's because … being Hokage … is my dream!"

Naruto stood straight. His hands were a few inches apart. Between them a chakra shell formed. Chakra appeared inside the shell, increasing by the second, spinning with the speed and power of a compressed typhoon. Naruto started running toward her, his face set. Tsunade was rooted to the spot as she saw him come.

_It can't be_, she thought. _No way. That chakra, that spinning motion… How could this boy have learnt this jutsu?_ But even as these thoughts rushed through her mind something else of more import was occurring to her. At two separate points in her life two different men had said the same to thing to her, and the same look of sincerity and altruism had burned in their eyes. a combination of these two trains of thought rooted her on the spot and Naruto's blurred form rushed toward her. However, her shinobi instincts finally kicked in and she regained her senses enough to flick her finger to the ground. A long fault formed on the ground which tripped Naruto. Naruto was thrown into the air and then came crashing to the ground. His **Rasengan** created a small deep spiral crater in the ground. Tsunade looked down at it first with surprise and then satisfaction.

_He hasn't mastered the jutsu. It's at about at seventy percent of what it should be and yet it had so much power behind it. No doubt because of the boy's large chakra reserves._

"Are you the one who taught this boy the Rasengan, Jiraiya?" she asked as Naruto stood up and jumped away, his face calculating. He had lost, he knew it. Tsunade had had him at her mercy. What would she do now?

"Are you the one who taught him a jutsu he can't master?" Tsunade continued. Naruto's eyes narrowed, his mind already seeing the challenge Tsunade was giving him. Did she really think he could not master the jutsu?

"It seems you lost, Tsunade," Jiraiya said not answering the question. "You said to only use one finger and yet I distinctly saw you use too when Naruto had you trapped in the air." Shizune nodded in agreement. Naruto stood up and blinked in surprise. Had he heard right? Had he just won against one of the Sannin? Although deep inside he couldn't exactly call this a victory. Tsunade merely shook her head.

"You're a waste of my time, the both of you. The kid's grasping for dreams he can never obtain. And you haven't changed at all, Jiraiya. You're still the same free spirited, irresponsible person you were. To think that Sarutobi-sensei wanted you to succeed him. He trusted you to see sense and settle down to do your duty just like he trusted Orochimaru to come to his senses and return to Konoha. And now looks what's become of him for being so trusting. He's dead." Something happened then Tsunade had not foreseen. A large demonic chakra suddenly filled the street. She did not even manage to see what happened before _something_ with blond hair and red eyes stood before her, its right claws outstretched and aimed at her throat. Another movement too fast for her to see happened and a large, mature and manly hand gripped the claws by the wrist. It took a few seconds for her mind to register that the demonic form in front of her that was covered in the red demonic chakra was the kid, Naruto, and that it was Jiraiya who had stopped Naruto from finish his attack. Naruto growled in an unearthly tone as he looked up at Tsunade with malicious eyes, killer intent roiling off him.

"Let me go," Naruto said for the second time that night. "She's going to pay for that."

"You really need to work on that temper of yours, Naruto," Jiraiya said in a reprimanding tone. Naruto did not answer instead focusing his energies on overcoming Jiraiya's grip. In this time Tsunade regained possession of her faculties and stepped away from the two with a dismissive snort. Naruto managed to calm down enough to dispel the demon chakra he had summoned but his body was still tense and his eyes cold.

"You owe old man Hokage and the Fourth an apology," Naruto said. Tsunade whirled around, her face a mask of anger. But after a second the expression changed from anger to thoughtfulness and finally into smugness.

"I tell you what kid," Tsunade said with a smirk on her lips, "if you can master that jutsu, the Rasengan, in a week's time I will give you this necklace." Tsunade took off her necklace to show it to him. Naruto's face did not change.

"I don't want your necklace," Naruto began but Jiraiya interrupted him.

"Hold on, kid. Do you know how much that necklace is worth? It used to belong to them First Hokage. It could buy three whole mountains!" Still Naruto's expression did not change. It was clear by now he did not like Tsunade.

"What's with the scary expression?" Tsunade asked lightly.

"I don't trust you," Naruto replied. For once he had completely ignored a challenge, and for once the challenge had a valuable prize too. To master the Rasengan in a week and get the First's Necklace! Normally that would have gotten him motivated but there was something eating away at him. This woman had a scent he recognised well and his fast mind had reached many logical conclusions, none of them good. It was best to take her out now, but he knew he couldn't on his own. He had already lost his chance back in the bar when Jiraiya stopped him. That had been hid only chance. But now he would only be a hindrance in such a fight as this.

"Oh?" Tsunade asked. "And why is that?"

"I can smell Orochimaru on you," Naruto said, "and that traitor Kabuto, too." For a second everything went still. Tsunade and Shizune were looking at the boy hard, surprise written all over their faces. Jiraiya's eyebrows rose as he looked from Naruto to Tsunade.

"So that's why you looked so drawn," Jiraiya said after a second.

"Stop talking crap, Ero-Sennin," Naruto snapped. "She can't be trusted. After those ANBU reports we read, there is only one reason why Orochimaru would seek out the greatest medical ninja of the age," Naruto said. "She can't be trusted."

"Naruto!" Jiraiya warned his tone serious. _You have drawn natural and logical conclusions, true, but until we find out more we cannot afford to be rash. Konoha is in desperate need of Tsunade's talents so we cannot afford to alienate her. I understand your pain, kid. Orochimaru killed Sarutobi-sensei. You do not want Tsunade to help Orochimaru destroy what the Third died protecting. Just trust me on this._

Naruto looked hard at Jiraiya. Jiraiya watched as Naruto's manner changed. suddenly he was the same impassive shinobi he had always been, all traces of hostility gone. It seemed Naruto had cottoned on to Jiraiya's thoughts, which was a surprise in itself for the blond shinobi had never been that intuitive. It seemed he had changed a lot over the past month. Jiraiya made a note to test how strong the boy had gotten. His shadow clone training seemed to have produced quite a few results, all positive.

"Whatever," Naruto said as he turned round a started walking away.

"Hey, kid!" Tsunade called after him. Naruto ignored her and kept walking. Tsunade's face was briefly drawn taught in anger at the disrespect but it passed. Instead, she smiled.

"Hey, kid," she called again. "If you manage to master the Rasengan within a week … I will accompany you and the "Super Pervert" back to Konoha and heal your friends in addition to giving you this necklace." Naruto stopped short. He slowly turned round and looked at her straight in the eye.

"If there is one thing I can tell in any person it's when they are lying and when they are telling the truth," he said after a few seconds' pause. Do you give me your word?"

"I give you my word," Tsunade said. Naruto's eyes held her gaze for a few seconds before he turned round and started walking away. After a few paces a gust of wind picked up and a whirlwind of leaves surrounded the blond ninja. The leaves scattered the leaves showing that Naruto had disappeared.

"You have yourself a bet, Tsunade-baa-chan," Naruto's voice echoed back to them on the winds.

XXX

Naruto was sitting on a rock outcrop. The surrounding area was a pretty desolate place. The trees were small and thin and the ground was hard and scarred. There was a constant stench in the air of something burning. There was a waterfall a little ways off and a river that fed off from the waterfall, both surprisingly large and clean. Of course Naruto did not expect anything different from an area that was so close to the bubble of humans in the nearby metropolis. No doubt this area had once been densely forested but the trees had been cut down in favour of development. But Naruto found solace in the fact that the people weren't stupid. They did not drain one area for sustenance, rather rotating the areas in which they harvested their needs from.

These were just the basic thoughts as Naruto sat in the lotus position, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting in his palms. He was going over numerous other thoughts in his head. First of all he was wondering whether or not Hinata was alright. The severe trauma she was suffering from was beyond any medic in Konoha to cure, and seeing as she was a Hyuga and from the Main Branch, a lot of people had tried their best. He relieved in his mind the scene of Hinata's embarrassment. He relieved the scene in which his rage had become all consuming and he had been taken over by the Kyuubi's chakra. He relieved the moment he had finally killed the Konoha Jonin traitor, how absolutely pure and satisfying it had felt to rip the man's heart out with his bare hands. He remembered how tired and emotionally spent he had been afterwards, how completely empty he had been. He wondered what he would say to Hinata when she woke up.

His gaze shifted to the waterfall. Sasuke. Another problem in the boy's life. Just what jutsu had Itachi used on Sasuke? It was a genjutsu that much Naruto knew, a _doujutsu_ activated genjutsu. Even Jiraiya had never heard of such a jutsu. There had been rumours, Jiraiya said, of a superior Sharingan that had many powers but seeing as there wasn't a record of such a thing no one knew for sure. And since there was no record there was no way to know what exactly had been done to Sasuke. Only a powerful medical ninja like Tsunade could delve into Sasuke's mind and heal him, just like Hinata's case. An attachment had slowly grown between Sasuke and him, Naruto knew. At first Naruto had not taken Sasuke seriously unlike their Academy days. He had been trained by his sensei to be a soldier. Personal vendettas did not help anyone. But slowly Naruto's teammates had grown on him. At first Naruto had fought these emotions with hatred like in the case of Sakura where he threatened her. But slowly Naruto had begun to feel a deeper sense of attachment that cold not be fought; camaraderie. This was one of the main ideals Konoha was built on. He had seen this, accepted this, and in doing so had finally embraced his teammates as friends, despite what they all behaved like with each other. What was going to happen after this mission was over? Naruto had this suspicion that Sasuke's temper was going to flare up as usual over his failure with Itachi. Although why a genin would feel bad about losing to the great Uchiha Itachi Naruto could not fathom.

"_I feel sorry for you situation, Naruto. On one hand you are not strong enough to defeat anyone who comes after you like Itachi did and so you have no choice but to use Kyuubi's chakra when troublesome situations arise. On the other hand by using the Kyuubi's chakra too much in battle you risk growing dependant on it or losing yourself to the demon, like Gaara. And I can see it in your eyes every time you think about the Demon Fox. You despise him for attracting all this danger to you and your friends and you despise yourself even more for not being strong enough to deal with the danger yourself, instead relying on Kyuubi's chakra. Since I know this I will not trouble you overmuch about the situation. I will, however, warn you. Kyuubi's chakra is a dangerous thing. It will eventually hurt you so do not so readily bring it out. I am glad your stealth and strength and speed have increased so much because it means if danger arises you will not have to battle but can run away. I know you don't relish running but it's the only way. Your Kage Bunshin training had an adverse reaction with Kyuubi. Instead of only your mind being affected like any person, your physical body was affected. We do not know the extent of Kyuubi's influence on you since you have but begun to use the abilities he grants you so please, bare this in mind, Kyuubi will only be used as a last resort."_

Those words had been spoken to him by Ero-Sennin. Naruto saw the wisdom in them. He accepted them. This is why his hatred for any weakness in himself increased. He just had to get stronger. Now he began to have an inkling of what it must be like for Sasuke. Now he understood how bad the urge for strength burned within the young Uchiha. Akatsuki was a danger to Naruto inasmuch as Itachi posed a danger and a threat to Sasuke. Neither boy could afford to take it lightly because of the fires that burned within them, the Flames of Youth so to speak. So instead of constantly being at each other's throats perhaps they could aid one another? No. The answer was readily available. It was Sasuke's burden alone to take care of Itachi just as it was Naruto's appointed task to oppose the threat of Akatsuki. This would be Sasuke's thought pattern as much as Naruto was thinking it now. But still…

Mastering the Rasengan. Another large thorn in Naruto's side. It was the most immediate problem and therefore needed to be dealt with. He was close to mastering it, he knew. Tsunade had said as much herself. Only thirty more percent to go and he'd have it in the bag. He just needed to master his chakra and make the chakra sphere strong enough to contain the power of the jutsu.

"Just because I can't see you, and just because I seem so preoccupied in thought, doesn't mean I don't know you're there," Naruto said out loud. It took a few seconds but finally Shizune revealed herself.

_He sensed past my jutsu? Impressive. Truly he is no normal genin. Even experienced Chunin shouldn't have been able to sense me. As a medical ninja my ability to suppress my chakra are perfect. And I'm standing out of sight and downwind of him as well. So how did he know I was here…?_

"How did you know I was here?" Shizune asked as she stepped closer to Naruto.

"I do now," Naruto replied. Shizune shook her head. She had no time for this.

"Listen, Naruto-kun," she began. "You must not go through with this bet with Tsunade-sama. She is not known as the Legendary Sucker for nothing. She has the worst luck ever. She rarely wins bets, and when she does nothing good comes of it. Her life has wasted away these years after … after those incidents, but that necklace is special to her. It is the last remnant she has of her past. It means so much to her. And the necklace, it's cursed. You must not take it from her!" Naruto did not reply. "Please, do not judge Tsunade-sama harshly. You don't know anything about her. She has had a hard life and seen many things. She has grown bitter, that's all. You might not trust us after we hid out meeting with _that_ man from you, but we thought it best. We were only trying to prevent this very situation from happening!" _I just hope that Tsunade-sama has time to think this true. She cannot seriously consider betraying Konoha like that. But will the lure of Orochimaru's offer be that strong? I just don't know…_

"You," Naruto finally said as he stood up, "are the worst liar I have ever seen. I would be guessing Tsunade gave me this week to master the jutsu because that's when Orochimaru will come back, right? I have read the ANBU reports on how the Third was killed. Orochimaru revived the First and Second. Is that what he offered Tsunade? Did he offer to revive her dearly departed precious ones?" Shizune did not answer. Her expression was of one defeated. If this brat could guess the truth then that surely meant Jiraiya had as well. Jiraiya was very loyal to Konoha. What would he do…? Suddenly she panicked. Jiraiya would kill Tsunade if he discovered the truth.

"Don't worry," Naruto said. "Ero-Sennin does not know anything. Fortunately. In any case he wouldn't do anything rash. Now if you'll excuse me I have a jutsu to master. Please leave." With that Naruto jumped down onto the ground and walked past her toward the river. Shizune walked away wondering how the week would play out but not before she saw the boy take off all of his clothes apart from his shorts. She could not help but wonder where the boy had gotten such a deadly collection of scars, some of which seemed years old. Maybe the boy knew a lot about how life could be, which was why he held promises highly and regarded loyalty to the Village, the only thing he knew, as a life or death matter. She left him to train.

XXX

**First of all let me say how sorry I am that I have not updated in so long. The major problem was that I hit a massive case of writer's block. By now everyone knows how the first part of Naruto goes. I am doing a retelling with my own elements so that everyone will understand how my story is going but I just couldn't quite handle this chapter well. It all suddenly seemed very repetitive. I was looking for ways to write out the rest of my chapters properly but I couldn't. The second thing is that I started sixth form in September (senior year for any people who hail from the U.S of A) and my timetable is therefore very much booked. I spared what time I could but since I already had a block on this story I concentrated on others so sorry about that. But that's all finished with. I'm back in business with this story so don't give up on me yet!**

**And secondly many of you have been complaining that I started my second part without finishing the first. First of all let me say sorry about that. Again I was trying to find ways past my block and thought maybe writing what's gonna happen in the future would help me write the past. I didn't even intend to post it but it's kind of a habit to post as soon as I finish writing so it just happened. But nothing in that story is going to ruin anything in this. I mean sure there have been some bombs dropped but don't worry. There are still some things in this story to grab your attention. That's why I'm writing the Kirigakure mission at the beginning so that this story gets time to catch up and so that you all get acquainted with a few things. Also some of you have said that I did too big a time skip and that you want to know what happened in those seven years. Well much of what happened to Konoha shinobi will be revealed in the Kiri mission Arc but I'm afraid Naruto will remain a mystery and we'll all discover what happened to him as the story progresses.**

**And lastly thanks for sticking with this story. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


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